Ukraine should insist on immediate NATO membership. This is the only thing that will stop Russian aggression - former US special representative Volker
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin respects only NATO, so Ukraine should insist on immediate accession to the Alliance.
According to Censor.NET, this was stated in an interview with LIGA.net by former US State Department Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker.
"We hear constant talk about when and how to bring Ukraine into NATO. I think everyone knows that this is the only thing that Putin respects. He's already seen that assurances like the Budapest Memorandum don't work, they're not taken seriously," Volker said, speaking about security guarantees for Ukraine.
He added that the timeframe to insist on is "immediate."
"I think we should say, as soon as there is a ceasefire, as soon as there is a cessation of hostilities, we should then bring Ukraine into NATO. This is necessary to prevent new aggression," Volker said.
He commented on the statement by Keith Kellogg, the future special representative of US President-elect Donald Trump for Ukraine and Russia, that Trump could end the war in Ukraine within a few months.
"I think it's realistic. The main reason why I think it's realistic is because Putin knows that his economy is in a very bad state. They have inflation of over 30%, interest rates are now over 21%, they have a labor shortage, they have a state budget deficit. And they are burning through reserves. And if oil and gas prices go down, they will have even less money in circulation. It's hard for them to replenish their army... Putin knows this, but he's trying to look tough now to prepare for the future 'settlement'... So I'm optimistic that it will happen in 2025," Volker said.
According to him, Trump has a real determination to end the war in the near future. Volker noted:
"As for aid and weapons for Ukraine in the future, everything indicates that President Trump will continue to provide military support to Ukraine. But probably in the form of loans to Ukraine. Ukrainians will be able to borrow money and buy American weapons, rather than receive aid from taxpayers."
He added that in his approaches, Trump consistently talks about "peace through strength."
"This indicates that he understands that Putin understands only force. And so Trump has to continue to demonstrate strength and provide a position of strength for Ukraine to convince Putin to stop the war... You have to create facts that he will have to deal with that will convince him that Russia will not be able to successfully continue the war. This is what needs to be ensured," the diplomat said.
At the same time, Volker noted that Trump is being very careful not to "personalize the dispute with Russia."
"He wants to leave open the possibility for Putin to leave and not completely lose face in the eyes of his own regime. So I think he is trying not to demonize Putin. At the same time, I think he will take measures that will allow Ukraine to take a strong position. I would say that this includes both military assistance to Ukraine and sanctions against the Russian energy sector," he said.
When asked whether Trump would revoke current US President Joseph Biden's authorization for Ukraine's long-range strikes against Russia, the diplomat recalled that the newly elected head of the White House had not made such a promise. Volker added:
"Trump held a press conference, he criticized the decision. And then he was asked if you would reverse this decision. And he replied: I don't know. He's not promising to reverse this decision."
In his opinion, Trump is thus trying to get Putin's reaction and make decisions based on it. The State Department special representative also noted that General Kellogg plans to visit Ukraine in January.
"It will be a fact-finding trip with a subsequent report. So I think we need to wait before we know what Trump is going to do," Volker said.
Earlier, Volker said that the US administration's authorization to use US weapons to strike targets deep in Russian territory reverses a political decision that should never have been made.
