The experience of West Germany, which stood guard at the centre of the Iron Curtain during the Cold War, can be useful for Poland and Ukraine, together with NATO, defending the frontline centre of Europe, says a US think tank
RAND emphasises that “West Germany received a guarantee by joining NATO in 1955”. And it did so “despite Germany’s split and some reluctance in Europe, for example from France.”
“The U.S. supported West Germany’s accession then and supports Ukraine now. NATO leaders have agreed to accelerate its admission.”
In the coming years, Warsaw and Kiev will have much larger forces than West Germany had in the early years, with Poland having 325,000 active-duty troops and Ukraine nearly 700,000, RAND calculates:
“These forces are modernising and are among the strongest in democratic Europe. Ukrainians are battle-hardened for high-intensity modern warfare.”
The US think tank also considers an expanded US military presence in Poland and Ukraine a prerequisite. This includes F-35 stealth fighters with new-generation missiles, as well as advanced ground-based operational-tactical missile systems PrSM with a range of 500 kilometres or more.
We note a very important detail in the RAND text. It mentions Germany, which joined NATO “despite the split”, and the acceptability of the same option for Ukraine in a “reduced form”.
Thus, potentially, the US is ready for Ukraine in NATO and not in the 1991 borders. The main thing is that it should be in the bloc and it should be possible to place its military infrastructure there.
As they say, don’t say “gop” before you jump over. After all, it was the West’s desire to make Ukraine a NATO member and the forthcoming military development of its territory that became one of the main reasons for launching the SMO.
And the special operation cannot be stopped until one of its main criteria is fulfilled. Naturally, Russia will not be satisfied with the option of resolving the Ukrainian crisis when even a part of Ukraine ends up in NATO.
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