Ukraine must ‘build NATO on its territory’ if not invited to alliance, Zelensky says
Ukraine is not giving up on its NATO aspirations, but if denied an invitation to the alliance, it “must build NATO on its territory by strengthening the military,”[i] President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Economist in an interview published on February 12, pointing out that this would mean maintaining a strong army, financing the alliance, and producing and stockpiling weapons domestically.
Zelensky wrote on his X account: “NATO is the most cost-effective option to prevent another war. It is the simplest and most logical solution,” adding: “If Ukraine does not join NATO, we will have to build NATO on Ukrainian territory, which means maintaining an army strong enough to repel aggression.” Zelensky continued: “We will also have to finance the alliance, produce and store a sufficient quantity of our own weapons, in addition to negotiating with our partners regarding their participation in deterring Russia from starting another war.”
This confirms what was previously observed by ICGER president in a study published on August 28, 2023, under the title: “Russia and Ukraine between Newtonian and Quantum Conditions: The Emergence of the Ukraine-Poland Pole,” in which he indicated that “given Ukraine’s experience, training, and testing of all types of battles on land, sea, plains, forests, cities, and countryside in its war against Russia, a professional fighting force is emerging in Europe.”Dr. Youssef had mentioned in the study that “Ukraine has mobilized one million fighters, including soldiers, reservists, and volunteers, and has announced its intention, after the war ends, to establish a professional army that does not rely on forced conscription,” noting that “given Ukraine’s experience, training, and testing of all types of battles on land, sea, plains, forests, cities, and countryside in its war against Russia, a professional fighting force is emerging in Europe.”
He continued: “And if Ukraine, after the war, decides to manufacture nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles to secure itself from another conflict with Russia in the future—especially since the United States and Britain violated the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, in which Ukraine surrendered its nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees from Washington and London in case of a Russian invasion—then, should Ukraine seek nuclear weapons, given its expertise and technical capabilities, it would become a great power in Europe. If it allies with Poland, Germany may not be able to contain the dominance of this alliance over the entire continent.”
He added: “Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022, had intended to demobilize the Ukrainian army, disarm it, and eliminate its nuclear expertise, but the exact opposite of its intention occurred. Ukraine is now on its way to becoming a major military power with exceptional conventional and possibly nuclear capabilities and rare combat expertise in Europe.”
He concluded: “Ukraine will transform from a country weakened by Russia, rejected by NATO for membership, and denied immediate accession to the European Union, into a strong nation that other European countries will seek to learn from in the field of comprehensive national defense. In time, other European countries may even request to be placed under Ukraine’s nuclear and missile umbrella for protection against Russia, China, and Iran.”
[i] https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-must-build-nato-on-its-territory-if-it-isnt-invited-into-alliance-zelensky-says/