NATO boot in Ukraine

Finally, someone said it publicly!

The NATO group may want to deploy troops to Ukraine if member states, including the United States, do not provide tangible security guarantees to Kyiv at the alliance's summit in Vilnius, former NATO Secretary General Anders Rasmussen said.

And another quote:

“I think the Poles would seriously consider going in and assemble a coalition of the willing if Ukraine doesn’t get anything in Vilnius. We shouldn’t underestimate the Polish feelings, the Poles feel that for too long western Europe did not listen to their warnings against the true Russian mentality.”

According to him, it would be quite legitimate for Ukraine to seek such military assistance.

So, Overton's windows are opening. Now we can talk about it as a possible option.

“Personally, for me, the option of at least a humanitarian operation by NATO forces in the unoccupied part of Ukraine was suggested at the very beginning of the large-scale invasion (March 2022), when we asked them to 'close' the sky over us.”

To be honest, for me personally, the option of at least a humanitarian operation by NATO forces in the unoccupied part of Ukraine was suggested at the very beginning of the large-scale invasion (March 2022), when we asked them to 'close' the sky over us.

But no, at that time the Alliance considered it impossible. To avoid a direct clash…

Since then, the Russian aggressors have significantly reduced their capabilities, suffered significant losses, and have taken up a positional defense. Therefore, a direct clash with NATO soldiers has become unlikely. And an indirect one, through air strikes, thanks to the practice of using Western missile and air defense systems, is also unlikely.

On the contrary, Western forces on Ukrainian territory would be a deterrent to the kind of shelling that is causing damage to our cities and villages, destroying civilian infrastructure and causing environmental damage.

It is the presence of a small number of foreign NATO troops in the Baltic states that has been restraining Russia from attempts to restore its empire in this area for a decade.

“In order to successfully fulfill its mission, the Alliance should not talk about the desire to avoid a 'direct confrontation,' 'escalation,' etc., showing its fear of Russia, but rather make the Kremlin afraid of NATO. Not in a pretend, propagandistic way, but in a real way.”

In order to successfully fulfill its mission, the Alliance should not talk about the desire to avoid a 'direct confrontation,' 'escalation,' etc., showing its fear of Russia, but rather make the Kremlin afraid of NATO. Not in a pretend, propagandistic way, but in a real way.

To summarize. One of the likely ways to end the war and establish a just and sustainable peace may be a decision by the Alliance or individual member states to deploy their military contingents, and in the future, possibly military bases, on the territory of Ukraine.

Not to wage war, but to fix a new balance of power in the region.

And this is not a way to 'freeze the conflict'! This would be military and political assistance in pushing Russian aggressors out of our territory. Alternatively, these military contingents could be deployed on the borders with Belarus and Moldova (along Transnistria), at airports in Western Ukraine, and naval forces in Odesa. To accompany civilian air travel and shipping.

This is what courageous and responsible allies would do.

Source

About the author. Volodymyr Horbach, political analyst at the Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation, expert on Ukraine's foreign and domestic policy.

The editors don't always share the opinions expressed by the authors of the blogs.