US presidential candidate calls for Ukraine not to be included in NATO

Photo: Global Look Press/dpa/Soeren Stache

US presidential candidate urges Russia to promise Ukraine won't join NATO

The United States must guarantee Russia that Ukraine will not become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. This was announced on 13 December by Vivek Ramaswamy, who is running for President of the United States from the Republican Party.

"I think we're wasting $200 billion of taxpayer money that could be better used to protect our own borders. But even worse, it increases the risk of World War III because it pushes Russia further into the hands of China," Ramaswamy said during a CNN panel discussion at an Iowa town hall.

According to the presidential candidate, Washington must also agree to other conditions, such as the preservation of Ukraine's sovereignty with "some territorial concessions" in the form of Russian-speaking regions. Such decisions, Ramaswamy believes, would be a reasonable way to end the Ukrainian conflict.

Last week, British Europe Secretary Leo Doherty said that British Foreign Secretary Jace Cameron had urged allies during a Ukraine-NATO Council meeting to "take practical steps towards Ukraine's membership" of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

On 30 November, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed doubts that Ukraine would ever have the opportunity to join NATO.

Earlier on November 29, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó said that Ukraine would not be invited to the NATO summit in 2024, which was revealed at a meeting of foreign ministers from the alliance's member countries. He stressed that the country's admission to NATO could result in World War III.

The Euractiv publication reported on 28 November that the same disagreements over Ukraine currently exist among NATO member states as at the July summit. The United States and Germany believe that discussions on Ukraine's membership in the alliance can only begin when it implements the recommendations of the annual national programme.

On 15 November, Russian Foreign Ministry official Maria Zakharova declared that Ukraine's entry into NATO is unacceptable to Russia in any form.

Ukraine submitted an expedited application to join NATO on 30 September 2022. Afterwards, Zelensky said that the country is in fact already in the alliance and meets its standards.

https://iz.ru/1620251/2023-12-14/kandidat-v-prezidenty-ssha-prizval-ne-vkliuchat-ukrainu-v-nato

Izvestia /JaV