Ukraine should join NATO as soon as possible – Western experts

The North Atlantic Alliance should provide Ukraine with a road map to membership as soon as possible. On the eve of the summit in Vilnius, almost half a hundred authoritative Western politicians, military, and diplomats made such a call. Politico published the signed letter.

Among the signatories of the appeal, in particular, former US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun and former U.S. special representative for Ukraine negotiations Kurt Volker, former commander of US and NATO forces, retired General Wesley Clark, former NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow, and others.

“In Vilnius, the alliance should launch a roadmap that will lead clearly to Ukraine’s membership in NATO at the earliest achievable date. As with Finland and Sweden, the process can bypass the Membership Action Plan in light of the close and ongoing interactions between NATO and Ukraine,” the letter reads.

Putin’s attempts to change the world security system failed, but he did not give up his plans to take over Ukraine. Therefore, Western experts say the country’s presence in the gray zone of uncertainty only provokes Russian aggression.

NATO must take measures so that Ukraine wins the war against Russia and restores full control over internationally recognized borders, convinced to sign the appeal.

“The transatlantic community can only be stable and secure if Ukraine is secure. Ukraine’s entry into NATO, fulfilling the promise made at the 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest, would achieve that,” the letter reads.

In Vilnius, NATO heads of state and government should offer an unequivocal statement of the Alliance’s support for Ukraine. “They should further underscore their readiness to supply Ukraine weapons — including longer-range missiles such as ATACMS, Western fighter planes, and tanks — in sufficient quantities to prevail on the battlefield,” the letter’s authors stressed.

This will send a clear signal to Russia that its attempts to take over Ukraine will fail. “Vilnius can be a historic NATO summit. The above steps would bring closer NATO membership for Ukraine and, with it, the elimination of gray zones and ambiguous security situations that have proven to be an invitation to [Russian] aggression. The result would be a more stable, secure, and prosperous transatlantic community,” the Western experts concluded.