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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWill Ukraine Bid To Join NATO Unleash 21st Century Cold War?
Published on Friday, August 29, 2014
Experts warn that if US and Europe continue to expand NATO's reach without recognizing destructive consequences, crisis in eastern Ukraine risks serious escalation
In a move that could dramatically spike international tensions and escalate the conflict in eastern Ukraine, the Prime Minister of the Ukraine government in Kiev on Friday submitted legislation to Parliament declaring intention to join the western military alliance of NATO and longer-term ambitions to actually join the European Union.
Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk submitted the proposal on Friday just ahead of a NATO emergency meeting held in Brussels to discuss the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
Following that meeting, NATO's Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen emerged to say NATO would "fully respect" Ukraine's effort to join the alliance.
In comments on Thursday, President Obama chastized Russia for its behavior in Ukraine, blaming President Vladimir Putin for the continued resistance shown by armed rebels in the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk who have resisted submission to the government in Kiev which came to power in a coup earlier this year. "The violence [of the pro-Russian separatists] is encouraged by Russia," the president charged. "The separatists are trained by Russia. They are armed by Russia. They are funded by Russia. Russia has deliberately and repeatedly violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine."
Responding to such accusations on Friday, Putin dismissed the idea that Russia was solely to blame for the current situation as he praised the resistance fighters in eastern Ukraine and said the Kiev government--backed by western power--was guilty of killing civilians as the Ukraine Army has conducted mass shelling against rebel-held cities. According to the Moscow Times, Putin said the Russian takeover of Crimea earlier this year was essential to save a largely Russian-speaking population from Ukrainian government violence and that continued fighting in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists launched an uprising in April, was the result of a refusal by Kiev to negotiate.
"We don't want [any large-scale conflicts] and don't plan on it," Putin said. "But naturally, we should always be ready to repel any aggression toward Russia."
He continued, "Russia's partners... should understand it's best not to mess with us." Then added, "I want to remind you that Russia is one of the leading nuclear powers."
In his remarks, Obama made direct reference an upcoming NATO summitscheduled for next month in the UKwhere he said the U.S. and other alliance members would reaffirm their "unwavering commitment" to Ukraine.
Though not well understood by many in the west, a move by Ukraine to join NATO actually strikes at the heart of the current crisis and experts warn that further moves by the U.S. or European leaders to encourage Kiev's official alignment with either NATO or the EU could have significant and disastrous consequences.
Friday, August 29, 2014
by
Common Dreams
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/08/29/will-ukraine-bid-join-nato-unleash-21st-century-cold-war
Harmony Blue
(3,978 posts)until their Nazi extremists are reigned in.
GP6971
(31,166 posts)Agree......too much extremism in the existing government.
former9thward
(32,023 posts)Because NATO will reject it. NATO nations want no part of the Ukrainian mess.
cheapdate
(3,811 posts)Rueters reported that the White House said that the president plans to stress that, ""the alliance's (NATO's) Article 5 commitment to the common defense of each member is an ironclad guarantee" when he arrives in Estonia next week.
I wonder if the two sources are talking about the same thing. They're momentously different ideas.
Boreal
(725 posts)and it remains to be seen what NATO might agree to. The long range western goal of destroying Russia (and Ukraine is most certainly a proxy war against Russia) includes encircling Russia, just as has been done with Iran. Ukraine is a desperate failed state, though, and NATO may set up some kind association beneficial to the west without actually allowing them membership. For about three years, the US and NATO have been scaremongering Europe and telling them they need to pony up and spend more on defense and Ukraine has no money so they aren't much use in that respect.
Evidence is being gathered to prosecute for war crimes so it should be interesting to see how NATO plays their closer association with a bunch of nazi murderers who's crimes are uploaded daily to Youtube.
pfft, I get so sick of this bullshit.