NATO gives Ukraine weapons to defend, not to prevail due to lack of strategic vision - expert

The provision of arms to Ukraine by NATO allies only for defending itself rather than for prevailing in the war is a consequence of the lack of strategic vision and ineffective nuclear deterrence of Russia by the United States.

This opinion was expressed in a comment to Ukrinform by a Ukrainian diplomat, foreign and security policy expert with the Center for Defense Strategies, Oleksandr Khara, in response to the question of why the Alliance, against the background of statements about Ukraine's possible membership of NATO only after the victory, currently gives us weapons only for defense.

The expert stated that not everyone in NATO wants Russia to be defeated because they see it as a greater threat due to its possible collapse and the unpredictable consequences it might cause.

"Actually, that's why we were restrained in 2022 – we were not given the opportunity (to further attack - ed.) at the moment when we were pushing the invaders back. The same thing happened in 2023, when we were not given fighter jets to plan an operation to liberate our territories according to NATO standards. The situation is the same now," Khara noted.

He explained that he sees this as a lack of strategic vision and a very ineffective nuclear deterrence of Russia on the part of the Americans.

"Meanwhile, the Russian nuclear deterrence works - they give us limited weapons, they prohibit (strikes deep into the territory of the Russian Federation - ed.) and so on. And the American approach to the Russians does not work – they are destroying our infrastructure, killing our children, not to mention the military," said the expert with the Center for Defense Strategies.

As reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted at a press conference on July 15 that Ukraine will not receive an invitation to NATO as long as the war waged by the Russian Federation rages on.