By Daniel DePetris
Bringing Ukraine into NATO would scratch the itch of teaching Russia a lesson. But it would do nothing to end the war or shorten its duration—precisely the opposite. If Putin knows that Ukraine will be invited into the alliance after the war is over, he will have even more reason to fight in order to prevent that outcome.
Putin would be given two choices: lose and watch NATO's border with Russia get even longer than it is today (and courtesy of Finland's own entry into the alliance this year, the NATO-Russia border has already increased by more than 800 miles), or continue to pour men and resources into the conflict to win or at least maintain a stalemate. Any semblance of a diplomatic settlement to the war would evaporate.
This piece was originally published in Newsweek on July 10, 2023. Read more HERE.