Merkel reveals fears of Russian backlash over BATO expansion
Angela Merkel, in her book, explains why she blocked Ukraine's accession to NATO. She feared Russian aggression. Fragments of the memoirs were published by "Die Zeit".
Angela Merkel, in her book "Freiheit" (Eng. "Freedom"), describes the pivotal NATO summit from 2008, where discussions were held on granting Ukraine and Georgia candidate status to the Alliance.
"I understood (their) desire... to become members of NATO as quickly as possible, because they wanted to be part of the Western community after the end of the Cold War. NATO had, however, to consider the effect of each potential new member on its own security, stability and ability to function" — wrote the former chancellor.
Merkel emphasised that NATO had to assess the impact of enlargement on the Alliance, as well as its security and stability. "The admission of a new member should not only bring (the member) more security, but also NATO" — she noted. The former chancellor considered that discussing the MAP status (Membership Action Plan) for Ukraine and Georgia without considering Putin's viewpoint was a gross neglect.
Merkel considered it an "illusion" to assume that the MAP status "would have protected Ukraine and Georgia from Putin's aggression, that this status would have had such a deterrent effect that Putin would have accepted … without doing anything". "The fact that Georgia and Ukraine did not receive a MAP commitment was a 'no' to their aspirations. However, NATO's promise of future membership for these countries was a 'yes' for Putin, interpreted as a declaration of war" — admitted the former chancellor.
Merkel's memoir fragments were published by the magazine "Die Zeit". In them, the former chancellor explains her concerns about military aggression from Russia, which influenced her decisions regarding Ukraine and Georgia.
Ukraine in NATO?
Russia will react to Ukraine's accession to NATO in the same way it did with the recent accession of Finland, assessed former Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba in a Wednesday interview with the Spanish daily "El Mundo". Finland, along with Sweden, applied for NATO membership in May 2022 and became a member of the Alliance at the beginning of April the following year.
- When Ukraine becomes a member of NATO, (Vladimir) Putin will react exactly as he did with Finland's accession. He will shout, he will threaten, and nothing will happen – believes Kuleba.
According to Kuleba, it is erroneous to assume that Ukraine's accession to NATO will lead to the Third World War. - It is the opposite: it will inevitably lead to it with Ukraine outside NATO – declared the former minister.
In his opinion, Ukraine's failure will result in the emigration of many millions of citizens, and "the war will reach the European Union and NATO". Kuleba is convinced that the problems in the region, observed, for example, on the Polish-Belarusian border, will be "a hundred times greater" in such a case.
