NATO membership would guarantee peace for Ukraine, world: Rasmussen-Yermak Int’l Task Force

14.05.2024 16:20

Ukrinform

The International Task Force on Security and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, co-chaired by Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak and former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, has published a report with a rationale for the necessity of Ukraine's future membership in NATO and concrete proposals to this end.

That’s according to the Ukrainian President’s Office, Ukrinform reports.

The report states that at the NATO Summit in Washington this July, the Alliance should extend an invitation to Ukraine to launch membership talks and invite the Ukraine-NATO Council to specify the terms of membership.

"A credible prospect of NATO membership is a way to convince Russia that it has nothing to gain from waging war. Inviting Ukraine to start accession talks now is a way to send a clear message to Russia that it needs to end the war and give Ukraine a chance for a just peace," the report emphasizes.

The Task Force proposes that a clear timeframe be set for Ukraine's accession to NATO – no later than July 2028, subject to the fulfillment of specific conditions.

Ukraine and its allies should strengthen efforts aimed at hindering Russia's operational success in the air, at sea, and on the ground, lifting all reservations on the types of conventional weapons supplied to Ukraine and, importantly, on how they can be used against military targets in Russia, the report emphasizes.

The International Task Force emphasizes the need to unify the set of bilateral security agreements between Ukraine and its partners into an international compact. Its goal is to build up Ukraine's Armed Forces so that they can reach a size and structure strong enough to defend against a future Russian attack and strengthen NATO's collective defense by the end of the decade.

It is proposed that NATO members commit to spending 0.25% of their GDP on military aid to Ukraine, as well as unlocking $300 billion in frozen Russian assets and utilizing them to support Ukraine.

Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak emphasized that failure to extend an invitation to Ukraine at the Washington Summit could further intensify Russian aggression.

"Strong and clear decisions at the NATO Summit in July will be extremely important for the future just peace in Ukraine and the entire Euro-Atlantic region. They will also be a good motivation and strong support for the Ukrainian military and all our citizens," he emphasized.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen is convinced that Ukraine's victory and the establishment of a sustainable peace require bold action on the part of NATO.

"NATO leaders need to make clear that our support for Ukraine’s security and sovereignty is irreversible. This report sets out clear measures to achieve that through enhanced economic and military support to contain and end Putin’s war. It also recommends NATO leaders open accession talks with Ukraine at the Washington D.C. summit in July. Bringing Ukraine into NATO is the surest path to lasting peace and security in Europe," he emphasized.

The report was signed by members of the task force: former President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė, former President of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski, former Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin, former Prime Minister of Poland Marek Belka, former Prime Minister of Slovakia Mikuláš Dzurinda, former Prime Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of National Defense Peter MacKay, former French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Defense Michèle Alliot-Marie, former British Foreign Secretary Lord William Hague, former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder, former U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker, former National Security Advisor of Canada Jody Thomas, former Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO Wesley Clark, former NATO Assistant Secretary General Heinrich Brauss, and former NATO Assistant Secretary General Giedrimas Jeglinskas.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, speaking at the NATO Youth Forum, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the main goal of the Alliance is to help Ukraine prevail in the war against Russia. Without ensuring that Ukraine prevails in the war, all efforts to rebuild the nation as a democratic and sovereign European country would lose their sense, he believes.