Poroshenko: Ukraine can teach NATO using its experiences from the war with Russia
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko believes that the collective security of NATO may benefit from the Ukrainian experience of war with Russia as indicated in an article the President wrote for the Wall Street Journal.
According to him, Russian aggression on the eastern flank of NATO’s territory is aggression not only against Ukraine, but against the whole Western world.
"There is not a single NATO country that has experience of combat with the modern Russian army. And Ukraine has such experience," Poroshenko wrote.
He added that the Kremlin is waging a war of attrition in the Donbas and constantly violates the ceasefire stipulated by the Minsk. At the same time Russia acts very carefully, so as not to provoke a serious reaction from the international community. "However, these Russian actions are active and strong enough to put pressure on Ukraine and the West," Poroshenko said. "As long as the Kremlin is able to start small fires in some areas of eastern Ukraine, such as the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, it will keep using them as an instrument of pressure and intimidation against other countries," he added.
Poroshenko urged to keep putting more pressure on Russia as long as it failes to fulfill the terms of the Minsk Agreements, does not give up the illegal and illegitimate annexation of the Crimea and doesn't follow the rule of law. He noted that Russia deliberately promotes instability, wherever possible, hoping to split the West and to achieve its geopolitical goals and that is why Ukraine and NATO need each other. "Only an in-depth partnership between NATO and Ukraine will provide stability in Ukraine, Eastern Europe, the Black Sea and the trans-Atlantic region as a whole. The support of NATO is a necessary component of the solution to the military problems and to overcoming the security threats in Ukraine," Poroshenko said.