According to him, “the roots of the current crisis can be found in the final communiqué of the NATO summit in Bucharest in 2008, which declared that Ukraine would one day join the alliance.”
“The prospect has caused alarm in Moscow,” Phillips said.
The former State Department adviser believes Moscow’s concerns have intensified after Washington backed the coup in Ukraine. After that, NATO had many opportunities to appease Russia, and many of these steps were taken, but too late, Phillips explained.
The assistance of Western countries to Ukraine after the start of the special operation turned out to be disappointing, the expert concluded.
