NATO, or Is That Too Much?
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry disproved the information in the mass media that it had suggested the top leaders of the country consider submitting an application to join NATO. Of course, the Ukrainian military’s stand is understandable: even if they tried to step forward with such suggestions, they hardly need any discussion on their pro-NATO initiatives in press, especially during the election campaign, when President Leonid Kuchma and a number of other political elite representatives have already made some statements on the priority of Ukraine’s relationship with Russia.
Certainly, Kyiv does not have to send any applications to NATO. However, the geopolitical situation around Ukraine is changing every day, and Ukraine will have to draw some conclusions from these changes. As we know, the relations between Ukraine and the North Atlantic alliance are regulated by the Charter on Special Partnership signed at the noted NATO summit in Madrid, the same summit that adopted the decision to enlarge the alliance. The Defense Ministry recalls this fact in its rebuttal. However, it seems that the Ukrainian military forgot that the charter itself was a consequence of legalizing the Russia-NATO relationship in form of the Basic Act, which made their connections far more serious than those between Ukraine and NATO.
After the September 11 events it became obvious that the format of Russia-NATO links does not satisfy neither Moscow nor Brussels anymore. Incidentally, while the Ukrainian Defense Ministry disproved the information on its Euro-Atlantic engagement, The Financial Times informed of NATO’s very serious proposals to make changes to its relationship with Russia. If these proposals are accepted by Moscow, the whole shape of the North Atlantic alliance would change, and this would mean that the Warsaw Pact had been incorporated by NATO. However, even if the Kremlin does not accept all the proposals made by the NATO leadership, a change of format is inevitable: it is just that the compromise will be based on some different, milder principle. The Basic Act will not last long: if not today, tomorrow it will be supplanted by a new one, more progressive and advantageous for both sides.
But what if the reason is removed and the consequence remains? Would it not be just more political nonsense? Incidentally, the Basic Act is the cause to which the Ukraine-NATO charter is an effect. Kyiv might believe that, by denying its wish to revise its relations with the alliance, it can save face. In fact, this looks more like saving an ugly expression on its face. If Ukraine really wants to save face and the quality of its relations with both Russia and NATO, it should hurry with its proposals for the NATO summit in Prague, which is scheduled for this fall. If Ukrainian diplomats and the military are late, the format of new relations between Ukraine and NATO will be determined by common decision of the North Atlantic alliance leaders and Russia. I fear they could even forget to ask Ukraine whether it likes any such new format.
