Ukraine Might Become Part of NATO as a Reduced Entity – Member Nation’s President
The Czech president stated that NATO may allow Ukraine to join the alliance even if it doesn't reclaim all of its lost territory. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Czech President Petr Pavel has proposed the possibility of NATO admitting Ukraine even if it has not regained all its lost territories to Russia.
Ukraine submitted its official application to join NATO in September 2022, primarily due to its ongoing conflict with Russia. However, NATO has stated that Ukraine cannot become a member until the situation with Moscow is resolved. In the interim, several NATO member countries have established bilateral security agreements with Ukraine, though these lack the collective defense guarantees outlined in Article 5 of the NATO Charter.
Pavel, who previously served as the chair of the NATO Military Committee from 2015 to 2018, contended that Ukraine might not need to fulfill its goal of reclaiming all territory lost to Russia to gain NATO membership.
“I don’t think that the full restoration of control over the entire territory is a prerequisite. If there is demarcation, even an administrative border, then we can treat this administrative border as a temporary one, and accept Ukraine into NATO with the territory that it will control at that time,” Pavel stated in an interview with the Novinky.cz news website on Monday.
He referenced West Germany's NATO membership in 1955 as a precedent, noting that it joined while the division of Germany and the Soviet occupation of East Germany were still unresolved. Ultimately, Germany was reunited following the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Bloc.
“So I think there is a solution both technically and legally to allow Ukraine to join NATO without bringing NATO into a conflict with the Russian Federation,” Pavel argued.
Historically, Pavel has advocated for a tougher stance against Russia, calling for increased sanctions and virtually limitless support for Ukraine from Western nations.
Ukraine maintains that Russia must return control of five regions, including Crimea, which voted in referendums to join Russia. Neither Ukraine nor Western nations recognize these referendums, while Russia has insisted that Ukraine must renounce all territorial claims to facilitate future peace negotiations.
Russia has consistently opposed NATO's eastward expansion and has highlighted Ukraine's aspirations to join the alliance as a primary factor in the ongoing conflict. In the peace terms proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukraine is required to officially become a neutral state and limit its military capabilities.
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
Ukraine submitted its official application to join NATO in September 2022, primarily due to its ongoing conflict with Russia. However, NATO has stated that Ukraine cannot become a member until the situation with Moscow is resolved. In the interim, several NATO member countries have established bilateral security agreements with Ukraine, though these lack the collective defense guarantees outlined in Article 5 of the NATO Charter.
Pavel, who previously served as the chair of the NATO Military Committee from 2015 to 2018, contended that Ukraine might not need to fulfill its goal of reclaiming all territory lost to Russia to gain NATO membership.
“I don’t think that the full restoration of control over the entire territory is a prerequisite. If there is demarcation, even an administrative border, then we can treat this administrative border as a temporary one, and accept Ukraine into NATO with the territory that it will control at that time,” Pavel stated in an interview with the Novinky.cz news website on Monday.
He referenced West Germany's NATO membership in 1955 as a precedent, noting that it joined while the division of Germany and the Soviet occupation of East Germany were still unresolved. Ultimately, Germany was reunited following the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Bloc.
“So I think there is a solution both technically and legally to allow Ukraine to join NATO without bringing NATO into a conflict with the Russian Federation,” Pavel argued.
Historically, Pavel has advocated for a tougher stance against Russia, calling for increased sanctions and virtually limitless support for Ukraine from Western nations.
Ukraine maintains that Russia must return control of five regions, including Crimea, which voted in referendums to join Russia. Neither Ukraine nor Western nations recognize these referendums, while Russia has insisted that Ukraine must renounce all territorial claims to facilitate future peace negotiations.
Russia has consistently opposed NATO's eastward expansion and has highlighted Ukraine's aspirations to join the alliance as a primary factor in the ongoing conflict. In the peace terms proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukraine is required to officially become a neutral state and limit its military capabilities.
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
