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The NATO Summit has concluded with member nations working hard to demonstrate unity for Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion. Still, tensions emerged among alliance members during the debate over what Ukraine’s path to NATO membership would look like.
As Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his frustration with NATO’s conditions, Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan explains why Ukraine is years away from gaining acceptance into the alliance.
Excerpted from Peter’s July 13 “Zeihan on Geopolitics” newsletter:
Note: This video was recorded back in June, but it helps paint a picture of what is going down at the NATO summit.
As the NATO summit in Vilnius wraps up, we’re left with a result that was more or less expected. Ukraine won’t be getting called up to the big leagues anytime soon, but it’s not all bad news for Zelensky…
Now you’re probably thinking that the main reason NATO was formed was to keep Russia (formerly the Soviet Union) at bay. While that may be true, NATO has no interest in getting into a direct conflict with Russia.
On top of that, Ukraine doesn’t quite cross off all the requirements on the list. So even if everything went perfectly at the summit, the accession process still requires unanimity…so don’t hold your breath.
Despite NATO leaving Ukraine out of the party, that doesn’t mean they won’t try to tip the scales in Ukraine’s favor; many NATO countries have already offered aid, supplies and support and that won’t be stopping anytime soon. A new wave of aid will be headed Ukraine’s way, so at least Zelensky wasn’t left completely high and dry.
