Ukraine's NATO membership: A point of no return for diplomacy
The Russian foreign ministry on Saturday, as reported by Reuters, stated that the admission of Ukraine to NATO will make a political and diplomatic resolution of the conflict impossible and will also lead to its escalation.
Russian diplomacy responded to the words of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who on Friday, following a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels, confirmed the earlier declaration that Ukraine will become a member of the North Atlantic Alliance.
Full readiness in the coming months
Rutte expects that the command for the NATO Security Assistance and Training mission for Ukraine will achieve full operational readiness in the coming months.
"We are well on our way to fulfilling our pledge to provide Ukraine 40 billion euros (60 billion Canadian dollars) of military support within the next year. (...) Supporting Ukraine is not an act of charity. It is also an investment in our own security. Because the cost of letting Putin have his way, would be much higher than the cost of supporting Ukraine. Ukraine's fight is our fight," declared the NATO Secretary General.
Kremlin's reaction
Following Rutte's remarks, the Kremlin reacted. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on this matter.
"The admission of Ukraine to NATO will make a political and diplomatic resolution of the conflict impossible and will also lead to its escalation," stated the Russian MFA on Saturday.
NATO as the "only way" to survive
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in an interview with the "Financial Times" on Friday that a formal invitation to NATO membership is Ukraine's "only way" to survive Russian attacks.
Ukraine applied for NATO and European Union membership following the Russian invasion in 2022. While all NATO members agreed that Ukraine is on an "irreversible path" to membership, the U.S. and Germany oppose its formal invitation, fearing it will escalate the conflict with Russia.
