Guest Commentary: Here’s why Ukraine must join NATO
Mark A. Murowany has served in numerous Delaware organizations and causes, as well as in leadership positions in the Ukrainian American and Polish American communities. He resides in New Castle County.
The United States has spent 16 months delivering historic aid to Ukraine, enabling it to mount a heroic resistance against Russia’s brutal attempt at conquest. But, even if Ukraine wins the war, the U.S. needs to make sure Moscow is deterred from ever again trying to conquer a nation and her people that it still sees as Russia’s property. The best way to do that is to finally invite Ukraine to eventually join the NATO alliance at the Vilnius, Lithuania, summit today and Wednesday.
President Joe Biden has shown remarkable leadership in holding the alliance together in its unified response to Russia’s war. He has marshaled dozens of governments to coordinate on sanctions, military aid and financial support for Ukraine. But now, the president seems to be a policy step behind many of our allies, as consensus builds for Ukraine’s membership.
France recently announced it would support Ukraine’s membership as one of the best ways to force Russia to stop its war. France joins many of our allies, including the United Kingdom, Canada, the Baltic states and Poland, in calling for Ukraine’s accession to NATO. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg agrees that Ukraine’s rightful place is in the alliance. As this consensus builds, the U.S. should not be late to the game.
That’s what makes Biden’s recent comments that he won’t “make it easy” for Ukraine to join NATO such a head-scratcher. Understandably, the president said that Ukraine must meet the same standards as other members. But, even if Ukraine was asking for special treatment — which it isn’t — the alliance just showed, with Finland’s rapid accession, that the process for joining NATO is far more flexible.
There are four notable reasons why Ukraine should be allowed to join NATO.
First, having Ukraine as an ally will make the U.S. and NATO stronger. We’ve all seen the heroism, resourcefulness and ferocity of Ukraine’s fighters. Today, Ukraine has the strongest modern military in Europe. It is the only nation that knows what modern warfare looks like and how to fight it. This is an invaluable experience that American and European militaries are already learning from to improve their own capabilities.
Second, the U.S. has also long wanted to pivot from Europe to Asia to meet the challenges posed by China. The threat of Russian aggression has forced us to focus on both theaters at the same time. But, with Ukraine as an ally, the fighting power and defensive capabilities of NATO’s front-line states would be substantially stronger, helping Europe to better share the burden of defense.
Third, Ukraine is already meeting the requirements of membership. It is a democratic country with competitive elections, a vibrant civil society and free press. Ukraine’s military is world-class and has shown that it can be interoperable with NATO equipment. It has made historic, undeniable progress in fighting the culture of corruption.
Fourth, it’s clear by now that Russia is on an imperial mission to conquer lands it sees as its own, and it won’t stop until it’s stopped. Ukraine is already stopping it. But, after Ukraine beats Russia, what’s to stop Moscow from rearming and coming back to try again? The single best way to deter Russia is with NATO membership. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, numerous newly independent states sought membership because they knew that what’s happening to Ukraine now could happen to them. Thanks to NATO, much of Central and Eastern Europe has been able to live safely for three decades.
Ukraine, on the other hand, has been left out in the cold. The 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania, emboldened Russia by giving Ukraine and Georgia an unclear promise that they could join at some indeterminate point in the future. After this ambiguous announcement, Russian President Vladimir Putin made territorial claims and invaded Georgia. Twenty percent of Georgia’s territory is still Russian-controlled. Ukraine’s democratic revolution in 2014 demonstrated that Ukrainians wanted to be more like Europe than Russia. But, without the collective security that only NATO can provide, Putin knew the West wouldn’t stand in his way if he invaded.
Let’s not repeat the mistakes of Bucharest. Ukraine has already been told it could join NATO. Now, it’s time to tell Ukraine exactly when it can join. Otherwise, leaving Ukraine in no man’s land indefinitely will show Russia that we haven’t learned anything and that Ukraine is fair game. Russia will keep waging war. NATO is the only ironclad deterrent to make sure this never happens again.
President Biden has given historic support to Ukraine and shown he’s a true friend of freedom. But the best way to safeguard what Ukrainians are fighting and dying for is by joining our allies who support Ukraine’s accession to NATO. Ukrainians want to be our allies, and we’d be smart, for selfish reasons, to finally let them.
