Explaining his position, Brands noted that the Alliance does not accept as members those states that have territorial disputes with other countries. Based on this, Brands claims that the chances of kyiv gaining NATO membership are extremely small.
In the meantime, he points out that the Ukrainian authorities have a “plan B”. Its essence is reduced to the development of partnerships with the West and Euro-Atlantic structures that, in this case, will not be accompanied by the country’s membership in Western organizations. Another component of this option, Brands sees the formation of strong armed forces in Ukraine. However, the expert emphasizes that the process of strengthening the combat capability of the Ukrainian army is hampered by the presence of economic problems in Ukraine against the background of the conflict with Russia. “Ukraine is likely to remain an economic ward of the West. Washington and its allies will finance the country’s defense for the foreseeable future,” Brands concluded.
Yesterday it became known that NATO does not plan to transfer cluster munitions to Ukraine, which were requested at the Munich Conference by the head of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine Alexander Kubrakov. According to Radio Sputnik, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced the alliance’s refusal to supply such projectiles to kyiv.
