By Benjamin Friedman and Christopher McCallion
Holding out the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO, or getting future security guarantees of another sort, would encourage Russia to keep the war going. In fact, providing security guarantees now would be even worse, forcing the U.S. to either ignore its commitment and undermine other alliances, or fight for Ukraine and spark an immediate nuclear crisis.
A more durable solution, instead, would be to make Ukraine a porcupine rather than a protectorate.
Despite the fact that it is unwilling to fight for Ukraine, the U.S. has shown great eagerness to arm it. Washington should continue this form of military support while agreeing to take Ukraine’s accession to NATO off the table, making Ukraine a heavily armed neutral.
This piece was originally published in Politico on July 12, 2023. Read more HERE.