Kiev, Ukraine. The Poroshenko Administration, under the influence of American NGO “think tanks” are in a big hurry to get into NATO, under the impression that this will somehow “protect” them from mythical “Russian aggression.” Sadly there is no alliance that can protect Ukrainians from their worst enemy; Ukrainians.
The Ukraine’s parliament has set NATO membership as a key foreign-policy goal, replacing the non-aligned status adopted by ousted Kremlin-backed President Viktor Yanukovych in a move that’s likely to further sour relations with Russia.
Legislation submitted by the ruling coalition was backed by 276 lawmakers in the 450-seat legislature Thursday in Kiev, the capital. President Petro Poroshenko wants to meet NATO entry requirements by 2020 and has promised to hold a referendum on joining.
Poroshenko sees NATO as a security guarantee after his rise to power following an American backed overthrow of the previous Yanukovich government. Ukraine has also signed an Association Agreement with the European Union, though it has no formal path to joining the world’s biggest trading bloc.
“Russian aggression against Ukraine and the annexation of Ukrainian territory have set an urgent task for Ukraine to ensure real national security,” the authors of the legislation said. “The most effective tool for the security, territorial integrity and sovereignty is collective security, the most effective of which is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.”
In response to NATO expansion toward its borders, Russia is taking steps to “re-balance the situation and defend its security,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call. Ukraine is a country in “civil war” and decisions on its membership are taken in Brussels and other capitals, he said.