Russian invasion could have been averted if West had been brave enough to bring Ukraine into NATO - Johnson

Johnson wrote this in a column for The Washington Post, Ukrinform reports.

"For decades, we have used diplomatic doublespeak on the subject of NATO and Ukraine — and it has ended in total disaster. We spent years telling Ukrainians that we have an 'open door' policy in NATO, and that they have the right to 'choose their own destiny,' and that Russia should not be able to exercise a veto. And all that time we have overtly signaled to Moscow that Ukraine is never going to join the alliance — because so many NATO members will simply exercise their veto themselves," Johnson said.

According to him, the result is the worst war in Europe for 80 years, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has destroyed countless lives, homes, hopes and dreams.

"Putin didn't invade because he thought that Ukraine was going to join NATO. He always knew that was vanishingly unlikely. He attacked Ukraine because he believed — with abundant evidence — that we were not really serious about protecting Ukraine. He attacked because he wanted to rebuild the old Soviet imperium and because he believed — foolishly — that he was going to win. If we had been brave and consistent enough to bring Ukraine into NATO — if we had actually meant what we said — then this utter catastrophe would have been averted," Johnson wrote.

He noted that according to one recent poll, support for NATO membership in Ukraine is now stratospheric — 83 percent.

"Today, Ukrainians are deploying a dizzying variety of equipment from NATO countries, with the utmost skill and bravery. There is absolutely nothing that NATO could teach Ukrainians about fighting a war — in fact, there is a lot that they could teach us," Johnson said.

He believes that the Western countries should have insisted on the reality — that the Kremlin had nothing to fear from NATO because it is a defensive alliance.

"But member countries accepted this bogus point; I admit that for a time I accepted it," Johnson wrote.

Finally, he said that "Ukrainians should be given everything they need to finish this war, as quickly as possible."