NATO’s reluctance to invite Ukraine incentivizes Putin to continue the war – Kurt Volker

Former U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine, Ambassador Kurt Volker, has asserted that NATO's indecisiveness regarding Ukraine's accession to the Alliance is encouraging Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to prolong the war against Ukraine.

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During an online discussion at the Kyiv Security Forum (KSF) on July 12, Volker stated that NATO's failure to provide clear prospects for Ukraine's membership at the summit in Vilnius was effectively a green light to Putin. KSF is a platform established by the Open Ukraine foundation, ran by former Ukrainian PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

Volker underscored that nobody should have expected a formal invitation for Ukraine to join NATO at this summit. The key issue was whether NATO could send an unambiguous message to Putin about its intentions for Ukraine's membership.

"Sadly, such a signal was not sent," he noted.

Volker observed that the Vilnius summit essentially mirrored the sentiment expressed at the Bucharest summit in 2008.

"(They said) Ukraine’s future place is in NATO, but the absence of a process, timelines, confidence, and sincerity belies these words," he emphasized.

Volker added that illusions about potential peaceful coexistence with Russia have dissipated over recent years.

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He expressed his concern that maintaining the 2008 formula at the 2023 NATO summit does considerable damage, as it gives Putin a chance to prolong the war indefinitely.

"We should have done the opposite – demonstrated that Putin's ambition to revive the Russian Empire will not succeed; instead, we're inadvertently encouraging him," Volker concluded.

NATO members gathered for the summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11-12. Delegations from Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Ukraine, and Sweden were also present, with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in attendance.

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On July 11, NATO countries in a joint communique expressed that Ukraine would be invited to join the Alliance once all member countries agree and requisite conditions are met.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg indicated that Ukraine no longer needs to fulfill the Membership Action Plan, effectively saying that Kyiv will be able to ultimately join the defensive alliance on an expedited procedure.

Read also: Ukraine would make NATO stronger – Zelenskyy in Vilnius

On July 12, Zelenskyy expressed his belief that Ukraine would receive an invitation to join NATO post-war.

G7 leaders announced a new set of “security guarantees” for Ukraine, focusing on equipping the Ukrainian military to be able to deter any future Russian aggression.

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