U.S. should rule out NATO as an option for Ukraine and Georgia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 19, 2021
Contact: press@defensepriorities.org

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is in Ukraine, where he expressed support for Ukraine’s NATO aspirations, a day after extending a security pact with Georgia. Defense Priorities Policy Director Benjamin H. Friedman issued the following statement in response:

“NATO already commits the U.S. to too many useless allies—but admitting Ukraine and Georgia to the alliance is flat out dangerous. Given that Russia occupies Crimea, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia, the accession of either Ukraine or Georgia to NATO would involve the U.S. in a territorial conflict and increase the risk of war with Russia—for no clear benefit.

“Secretary Austin is right that ‘Ukraine has a right to decide its own future foreign policy,’ but that doesn’t mean they have a right to join NATO and have the United States threaten to kill large numbers of people on their behalf. The prospect of being defended by the U.S. may undermine Ukrainian willingness to accept that their geography demands they make unpleasant sacrifices for peace.

“Ukraine and Georgia will never matter as much to the U.S. as they do to Russia, and therefore threats to fight what might a be nuclear war on their behalf will never be credible. Pretending otherwise helps no one.

“The U.S. should state unambiguously that NATO membership is not an option for either.”

Author

Benjamin
Friedman

Policy Director