NATO faces major test in The Hague summit in 2.5 months — professor

He expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.

“I think our European partners recognize the capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces — indeed, they are the most powerful military formations among all European countries, and perhaps not only among the European ones. Given the outlook, which European leaders and especially the NATO Secretary General are reluctant to talk about, it cannot be ruled out that NATO is on the verge of serious transformations. I don’t want to speculate on the extent of U.S. involvement in European security issues. But I believe that in 2.5 months in The Hague, during the summit, NATO will face a serious challenge,” he said.

Ihor Todorov recalled that the final documents of the NATO summits in Madrid, Vilnius, and Washington declared Ukraine’s perspective for membership in NATO. And if this time such a statement is not made — not even verbally — it would mean a defeat for NATO.

“Under certain conditions, yes, but no one had rejected this — the decision was made by consensus. If they back away from this in the final document of the Hague summit, and Ukraine is not mentioned in the context of future membership, this will mean a defeat for NATO. And it will mean that Putin, with his 2021 ultimatum demanding no NATO expansion or other similar issues, has essentially succeeded in dismantling the so-called collective West,” the professor believes.

• On April 4, it was reported that the Netherlands expects to see Ukrainian President Zelenskyy at the NATO summit in The Hague on June 24–26, and is calling on Alliance partners to increase support for Ukraine and raise international pressure on Russia in pursuit of peace.