Ukraine finds a 'smart way' to join NATO
Ukraine can join NATO though close rapprochement with the West and the deployment of NATO military bases in its territory, Director of the Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies Valentyn Badrak told Apostrophe news outlet.
He stated that as long as Ukraine has territorial problems with Russia, Ukraine will never gain NATO membership. Nevertheless, according to him, Ukrainian authorities have found a “smart way” to do this, though they are unsure that the West would accept it.
Badrak specified that the “smart way” would be to deploy an American national missile defense system base within Ukrainian territory, to install several Patriot divisions and to deploy a wall of NATO units. According to him, this strategy would open the way to join NATO and will allow Ukraine to become more secure than Bulgaria and Greece, other members of the organization, because the country “has enough of its power and forces.”
Badrak noted that cooperation with the USA and an increase of annual financial assistance from $300 to $1billion can become an interim step towards this goal.
Earlier, on July 5, the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko set out Ukraine’s desire to join NATO in the law “On National Security.”