While the U.S. and NATO are sidestepping the question of Ukraine’s membership in the alliance, the reality is that an invitation to Ukraine would likely be vetoed by one or more members. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said yesterday that the meeting in Brussels produced no consensus on inviting Ukraine to join NATO. He warned that bringing Ukraine into NATO’s ranks “would be tantamount to initiating World War III,” reported AP. “We believe that Ukraine would not be able to add to European security in its present situation, but rather, as a country at war, inviting Ukraine into NATO we would risk ... the threat of war, namely, the threat of a NATO-Russian war,” Szijjártó told a news conference.
He also expressed skepticism that additional NATO support would turn the course of the war. “In spite of the arms shipments pouring there, Ukraine’s situation on the battlefield gets worse every day. If someone talks about the improvement of the situation of the Ukrainians as an easily achievable goal on the battlefield, they do nothing but deceive themselves and the Ukrainians as well.”
Slovakia is also doubtful about additional military aid. “In February, we’ll mark three years of war, and it has shown us that, despite extensive efforts from Western partners, Ukraine’s position hasn’t improved significantly,” said Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár, reported Euractiv. “This indicates that conflict does not have a military solution and is needed to push towards peace solutions.”
