By Natalie Armbruster
On Wednesday, the U.S. delivered its written responses to Russia’s security demands amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis. One of these demands was the formal recognition that Ukraine would not become a NATO member. While the contents of the U.S. written responses were confidential, at the request of the U.S. government, when asked about NATO, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken remained adamant that “NATO’s door is open, remains open, and that remains our commitment.” However, since it promised NATO accession in 2008, NATO has not provided Ukraine or Georgia a Membership Action Plan – the necessary first step to formally begin the accession process to NATO.
Looking at the historical record, it is evident how little Washington cares to defend liberal values when the U.S. has no national security interest to justify sending troops. Washington should abandon its pattern of empty virtue signaling in its false promises to Ukraine regarding prospective NATO accession. At a minimum, these countries deserve an honest assessment of U.S. intentions and interests, limiting our obligation to the defense of treaty allies and the reality of those who will become allies.
Frankly, the door is closed, at least to Ukraine and Georgia. When Ukrainian lives are at stake, it is a disservice for the U.S. to nominally support a step that in practice they will never take. It is against our interest and theirs to feign support when the U.S. has no intention of following through on these promises. It risks Kyiv’s security and hinders their ability to assess both their geopolitical reality and the potential risks they face. Washington’s credibility comes into question if the United States continues to pretend countries will be treated as or become treaty allies that it would protect, when the U.S. possesses no vital strategic or security interest, such as in Ukraine.
This piece was originally published in Real Clear World on January 26, 2022. Read more HERE.