President Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested that the Ukrainian areas under his control should be placed “under NATO auspices” to try to prevent a “hot phase” of the war.
In a long and wide-ranging interview on Sky News, Ukraine’s president was asked whether he would accept NATO membership, but only on the territory that Kiev currently holds.
Zelensky said he would do so, but only if NATO membership was offered to all of Ukraine, first within its internationally recognized borders.
He said Ukraine could then try to negotiate the return of territory currently controlled by Russia “in a diplomatic way”.
But this proposal is highly theoretical. As Zelensky pointed out, no one has yet made such an offer.
Whether NATO would ever consider such a move is highly doubtful.
“Ukraine has never considered such a proposal, because no one has officially presented it to us,” Mr. Zelensky said.
He said NATO would need to offer membership to the entire country, including areas currently controlled by Russia.
“I can’t give it [an] invitation to just one part of the country,” the president said, according to a translation provided by Sky News. “Why? Because of that, you will admit that Ukraine is only Ukrainian territory, and the other territory is Russia’s.”
Many people have proposed a ceasefire, he said, but without a mechanism to prevent Russia from attacking again, a ceasefire is simply too dangerous.
Only NATO members can give that kind of guarantee, he said.
Ukraine’s president has said he thinks the war could end next year if Ukraine’s allies show enough determination.
Reports suggest that discussion of the so-called West German model (NATO membership for a divided country) has been going on in Western circles for more than a year.
But no formal proposal has been made yet.
It is worth noting that so far Russian President Vladimir Putin has given absolutely no signs that he has given up his desire to completely conquer Ukraine.
The idea that he would be willing to allow any region of Ukraine to join NATO is currently unthinkable.
All signs so far suggest that any NATO involvement is completely unwarranted.
