British diplomat: Russia causes fear in NATO. Ukraine will not be a member of the alliance
By declaring at the Bucharest summit in 2008 that Ukraine and Georgia “will be members of NATO,” the alliance made a mistake.
This was stated by British diplomat Adam Thomson, who served as the UK's permanent representative to NATO from 2014 to 2016, according to a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“Russia does not trust the West. And the fact that it bases its strategic calculations on Western capabilities is absolutely understandable. There is also no doubt that these possibilities look daunting when viewed from Moscow. But, as I said, Russia itself is also a source of fear for NATO. If you base your calculations only on Moscow’s capabilities and are not aware of its intentions, then NATO may think that Russia is preparing to invade Ukraine,” the diplomat said in an interview with Moskovsky Komsomolets.
In his opinion, the West and Russia should trust more and fear less, but “the current crisis is pushing everyone in the exact opposite direction.”
“I can only repeat: if you look at NATO from within NATO, the bloc looks ineffective and fragile. NATO is not trying to provoke Russia. The alliance is trying to contain Russia and protect itself from Russia. NATO wants Ukraine to be friendly and sovereign, but the bloc does not want to turn Ukraine into a “landing ground” for an attack on Russia. We need to reach agreements on arms control and break out of this vicious circle of mutual fear through real dialogue between Russia and NATO,” Thomson said.
He also makes it clear that Ukraine will not become a NATO member.
“It will take a consensus of all 30 current NATO members for the bloc to agree to include Ukraine. How likely is this, do you think?” the publication’s interlocutor asked rhetorically.
The former British representative to NATO recalls that the last time countries located near Russia joined the North Atlantic Alliance took place in 2004.
“My personal opinion is that the alliance made a mistake by declaring at the Bucharest summit in 2008 that Ukraine and Georgia “will be members of NATO.” But, as the Ukrainians and Georgians point out bitterly, 14 years later, neither country has even received a road map to membership,” Thomson concludes.
English version :: Read in English: British diplomat: Russia is a source of fear for NATO. Ukraine will not join the alliance.