What is the price of Ukraine’s “developmental delay”?

Yevhen MARCHUK: “The parliament’s decision to abandon the nation’s non-aligned status and go back to NATO integration represents the optimal choice. The hard work of making it happen is ahead of us”

The government has finally decided to take a long overdue measure of abandoning the non-aligned status of Ukraine. On December 23, the parliament made into law the presidential bill “On Amending Certain Laws of Ukraine in View of Ukraine Abandoning Its Policy of Non-Alignment.” As much as 303 MPs voted in favor of it. According to the law, Article 6 of the Law “On National Security of Ukraine” will now state that priority national interests include “integration of Ukraine into the European political, economic, and legal space in order to join the EU and the Euro-Atlantic security space; development of equal and mutually beneficial relations with other states in the interests of Ukraine.”

After the Euromaidan, and especially after Russia launched its war against our country, abandonment of Ukraine’s non-aligned status Ukraine looks like getting rid of unnecessary ballast. It was in force long enough for Russia to do its dirty work. Initially, Leonid Kuchma’s administration helped the Kremlin to reverse Ukraine’s NATO integration drive, which was prepared and implemented by Yevhen Marchuk who managed to bring us very close to the Membership Action Plan. Later on, it was Viktor Yanukovych who helped Russia to entrench Ukraine’s neutrality in legislation, just as it set to destroy Ukraine’s security apparatus from within. Finally, Russia launched its long-prepared special operation, using a certain moment of anarchy in Ukraine after the Revolution of Dignity (it is possible also that the Kremlin was the architect of its desired bloody scenario for the Euromaidan as well). The operation resulted in the annexation of Crimea, the partial occupation of the Donbas, thousands of people dead, injured and destitute, and economic collapse in these regions.

“Kuchma tried to stay equidistant from all powers, but this duplicitous strategy failed,” People’s Front MP Serhii Vysotsky commented for The Day. “Yanukovych became the ideological successor of this policy. He brought to the climax and perfect absurdity the system created by Kuchma, and eventually it completely collapsed. Ukraine’s current condition is Kuchma’s legacy. Russia took advantage of all this, as it attacked us, annexed our territory and is fighting in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. All these congenital injuries were caused by Kuchma, making him directly responsible for what is happening now.”

“Until recently, all our garrisons were in western Ukraine, as if we were still afraid of ‘imperialists’ going on the offensive,” head of the Samopomich’s parliamentary caucus Oleh Bereziuk told The Day. “It has turned out, however, that our real enemy is in the northeast, where there were no garrisons. Therefore, this mistake of our predecessors must be corrected now. People understand that they need to have an alliance with highly developed, intelligent political actors, respectful of human rights and their countries’ laws.”

Of course, mistakes must be corrected. Abandonment of the neutral status, albeit a belated one, and focus on Euro-Atlantic integration are correct and necessary decisions. The question remains, though: who will be held responsible for missed opportunities and lost time? Who will pay the price for lost lives, infringed territorial integrity, and “developmental delay”?

“Under prevailing circumstances, the Verkhovna Rada’s decision represents the optimal choice,” Marchuk stressed in his comment for The Day. “The current version of the national security shows that the Ukrainian side does take into account Russia’s aggressive stance towards our country. We should prioritize economic recovery, the cessation of hostilities and the democratization of the entire political system now. For the start, let us fulfill all the conditions and criteria of the EU, for they match the criteria of NATO. The Law ‘On Principles of Domestic and Foreign Policy’ deals with meeting the criteria of the first stage, which is absolutely necessary for a serious discussion on NATO accession to start. The alliance’s response is yet another confirmation of the need to fulfill these criteria, as it says: ‘The door is open, but your actions are up to you.’ Cooperation with the NATO Headquarters provides for creation of bilateral annual plans. These will be not just internal Ukrainian plans, as they will have the NATO Headquarters’ blessing.”