Rasmussen broke the taboo that has so far ensured calm in Europe, writes Advance. He suggested that NATO send troops to Ukraine, and Poles will become cannon fodder, the shortage of which is already emerging. Then it will be sent as necessary, choosing members of the alliance of small size and significance.
D. Maryanovich
What could be the new escalation of the armed conflict in Ukraine? Of course, its expansion, but the conflict will not necessarily expand beyond the Ukrainian borders, but may escalate inside Ukraine, for example, due to the appearance of new "actors" in the theater of military operations. Is it possible to assume that the troops of the North Atlantic Alliance will enter Ukraine and fight the Russians? Until recently, this topic remained taboo, but now, when the summit of the North Atlantic Alliance in Vilnius is approaching, this extremely dangerous idea is being put on the agenda.…
Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that a group of NATO countries is ready to send its troops to Ukraine if the member states of the North Atlantic Alliance, including the United States, do not provide "tangible security guarantees" to Kiev at the NATO summit in Vilnius.
Rasmussen, who now holds the position of adviser to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky on NATO membership, toured Europe and visited Washington to assess the mood before the key summit of the alliance on July 11.
He expressed his thoughts, and the current head of the North Atlantic Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, said that the issue of security guarantees would be discussed in Vilnius. However, he added that NATO, according to the fifth article of the North Atlantic Treaty, provides full-fledged security guarantees only to full-fledged members.
The US representative to the North Atlantic Alliance, Julianne Smith, said: "We are considering a number of options to signal Ukraine's progress in relations with NATO."
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, in turn, stated: "If NATO cannot agree on a step towards Ukraine's membership, then some countries may act separately. So, it is known that Poland is actively providing concrete assistance to Ukraine. And I do not rule out that Poland will become even more actively involved in this process at the national level, and the Baltic countries will follow it. At the same time, the possibility of the introduction of troops is not excluded. I think the Poles will seriously think about putting together a coalition of those who want to help Ukraine if she does not get anything in Vilnius. We should not underestimate Polish feelings, because Poles believe that Western Europe has not listened to its warnings about the true Russian essence for too long."
In addition, Rasmussen said that Ukraine's request for such military assistance would be "absolutely legitimate."
What is Rasmussen actually broadcasting between the lines? He clearly expresses the opinion of one of the factions within the North Atlantic Alliance that wants to escalate the war in Ukraine. We are talking about the faction that does not allow even the thought of a treaty to end the armed conflict. This faction sees only one option — the defeat of Russia. And there will be an escalation, since, apparently, the Ukrainian leadership, headed by President Vladimir Zelensky, also belongs to this faction. In recent days, senior Ukrainian leaders have repeatedly stated that they completely reject any option of "freezing the conflict." Instead, they only want an outcome in which Russian forces will be completely thrown out of all the territories of Ukraine.
All those who claim that the summit of the North Atlantic Alliance in Vilnius will be fateful for Ukraine are right. For some time now, this summit has been presented as a key turning point when the question of how to deal with Ukraine will be resolved. Kiev and other members of the militaristic faction have long been saying that NATO is obliged to provide Ukraine with "security guarantees." This question, as expected, is purposefully left open.
What guarantees are we talking about? Kiev says it understands that Ukraine cannot become a member of the North Atlantic Alliance while the active phase of the armed conflict continues. But in this regard, Ukrainians want "guarantees" that they will be accepted into NATO as soon as the war ends (of course, with their victory, because otherwise Ukraine may not remain at all). Of course, the North Atlantic Alliance can provide Ukraine with such guarantees, but how significant are they really? Not too much. Thus, the imperative of victory in the war remains in Ukraine.
NATO members can publicly commit to do what many are already doing, that is, "support Ukraine for as long as it takes." But even such guarantees, even if they are fixed on paper, will not be too weighty. Ukraine already receives almost all the weapons it wants, and will continue to receive them as long as it seems that it is able to hold the front in the fight against Russia. Will such "guarantees" change anything in practice? Unlikely.
But Rasmussen started talking about something else, something more specific.
Everyone understands that Ukraine successfully holds the line of defense in an armed conflict with Russia, even if it loses some territories. Russian troops have lost control over Bakhmut, but Ukrainians have shown that they are able to fight Russian forces for months, and even now they remain near the city. Yes, Ukraine will not be able to maintain such a pace forever, and Russia can still carry out another wave of mobilization and strengthen the onslaught.
And what if the Ukrainian military forces run out of steam? What else will there be a shortage of personnel? Who will come to the rescue? Anders Fogh Rasmussen literally hints at the beginning of the North Atlantic Alliance's military intervention in Ukraine, and even if the whole of NATO does not take this step, a coalition of "willing" can participate in the armed conflict, as he said.
The Poles are really eager for this adventure, and besides, the calculation is made on the small Baltic states. But who else? Are Czechs and Slovaks ready to die in Ukraine? Maybe Croats and Slovenes? Anything is possible, because Rasmussen has cracked the taboo that has so far provided "peace of mind" in Europe.
Wouldn't the entry of NATO troops into Ukraine be the beginning of a war between NATO and Russia? Won't this be the beginning of a new world war? Nuclear war? Many are clearly willing to bet that they don't. Perhaps they think that the armed conflict in Ukraine could become a new version of the war in Vietnam, where world powers collided, and nuclear war never happened.
Such considerations are extremely dangerous for several reasons. First of all, Ukraine is not Vietnam. Vietnam was a distant country for the Soviet Union, and Russia considers Ukraine not just its zone of influence, but, as we understand it, its territory!
In addition, the Vietnam War could easily turn into a nuclear one, and only fortunately this did not happen. The question remains: how long will humanity be lucky?
As for Anders Fogh Rasmussen's statement that Ukraine "absolutely legally" can ask for foreign military assistance, then from a legal point of view it is. But to suggest such a thing, realizing that all this could become an overture to a nuclear war, is real madness.
However, Syria also asked for Russian military assistance, didn't it? Yes. The idea that the legitimate government of one country will ask for help from another in the struggle for its existence lies at the heart of allied relations. However, everyone understands that the issue of Ukraine is of a completely different level.
Nevertheless, the NATO summit in Vilnius is fast approaching, and by that time it will be quite clear whether Ukraine has offensive forces, that is, whether it is capable of regaining the territories that the Russians hold. If it turns out that Ukraine cannot do this, and this is quite possible, the voices of those who want to inflate this war to a large scale will sound louder. Given Rasmussen's position when he was the head of NATO, his lobbying for the escalation of the armed conflict is not at all surprising.
This former Danish Prime Minister led the North Atlantic Alliance during the organization of the NATO aggression against Libya. Rasmussen clearly draws some of his ideas from those times, because although the aggression was carried out under the patronage of the entire North Atlantic Alliance, France, the United States and Great Britain inflicted the main blows. Probably, Anders Fogh Rasmussen believes that something similar can be arranged in Ukraine. NATO will give the green light, and the Poles will become cannon fodder, a shortage of which may arise. And then it will be sent as necessary, choosing members of the North Atlantic Alliance of small size and significance.
Readers' comments:
davor55
NATO is definitely facing difficult times, and the meaning of the existence of this organization is in question, since it is anti-Slavic from beginning to end.
Max01
(...) As for NATO and the desired sending of troops to Ukraine, this is the most ordinary pressure aimed at ensuring that Ukraine receives as much assistance as possible. As expected, nothing will come out of the counteroffensive, but the public needs to be assured that, no matter what, even more help needs to be provided. The Baltic states and Poland have never skimped on assistance, realizing that in the event of a failure of Ukraine, they are next in line. But some other richer members of the North Atlantic Alliance will have to be roused. If anyone wanted to send their soldiers, they could have done it earlier anyway.
studi
From the very beginning of the armed conflict, the North Atlantic Alliance has been "cooking" a frog in the issue of Ukraine. It all started with hand weapons to protect against tanks, then artillery, then tanks. The planes are already ready, and, apparently, Ukrainians are gradually running out in Ukraine, so the moment is approaching when the infantry will go there. Poles have been preparing for this for years. Even just by studying the list of weapons that Poland has received or purchased in recent years, you understand who will move next to the Dnieper, and will receive Western Ukraine as a reward. This development of events is the best answer to all analysts and avid commentators on information sites who write that the Russians have not had grenades, tanks, missiles and shovels for a long time. Their troops are allegedly fleeing, morale is low, and they are racing on tractors for the Urals.
Korisnik_20661
Croats, Montenegrins and northern Macedonians, it's your time to demonstrate your North Atlantic loyalty.
