NATO membership impossible for country at war – ex-NATO assistant secretary general

Heinrich Brauss, former NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defense Policy and Planning (2013-2018) and retired Bundeswehr lieutenant general, said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

"There is a basic rule in NATO: if a country is in conflict with its neighbor, it cannot be admitted to the Alliance. […] This may sound cynical to Ukraine, but unfortunately, that is the reality," Brauss said.

He explained that this is a general principle of the Alliance, which does not want to import unresolved conflicts. Therefore, there is little point in speculating now about whether and when Ukraine will join NATO. As long as the country is at war – because it has been attacked – the question of membership is not on the table.

Brauss also pointed to other factors worth noting. Ukraine is a big country, and if, under "exceptional circumstances," it were to become a NATO member, the Alliance would have to deploy forces there and prepare plans for rapid reinforcement if necessary. To ensure credible deterrence, U.S. troops in particular would need to be stationed on the ground – something very difficult at the moment, as the United States prefers that Europe handle its own security. For the Bundeswehr, which has already deployed the 45th tank brigade to Lithuania, another large-scale deployment abroad would also pose a major challenge.

"Could we imagine that in the future, once Putin retreats, NATO might decide to admit Ukraine as a preventive measure – but without permanently stationing troops there, only with reinforcement plans? That would have far-reaching military implications for the rest of Europe, and beyond. We would likely need to redeploy forces within Europe," Brauss added.

The former official recalled the 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest, which he personally attended. At that meeting, NATO declared that Ukraine and Georgia had prospects for membership but were not granted a Membership Action Plan. Brauss remembers how Putin came to the NATO-Russia Council session and began to "lecture" leaders, claiming that Ukrainians were Russians and belonged to Russia, and that Crimea was Russian territory.

"In other words, the entire set of arguments we now hear from Putin, he voiced already then. He also said that millions of Russians live in Ukraine, that as the Russian president he was responsible for them – and then he warned: 'Believe me, I will take that responsibility.' The room fell completely silent," Brauss said.

According to him, NATO leaders assumed that since Ukraine had not been given a Membership Action Plan – the roadmap toward NATO membership – Moscow would understand that membership was not on the agenda and that allies were not taking it too seriously at the time.

"However, Putin likely interpreted it quite differently – as a clear statement of intent," Brauss said.

In his opinion, the fact that the phrase about Ukraine being on its path to NATO was not included in the decisions of the recent Hague summit shows that there is no consensus on this issue within the Alliance.

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