Ukraine In NATO: The Heart Says Yes, the Head No
The transatlantic alliance must help Kyiv in every way it can — short of letting it shelter under its mutual-defense clause.
NATO and Ukraine, close but not the same.
Photographer: Roman Pilipey/Getty Images
There are excellent reasons to admit Ukraine into NATO. But there are better reasons not to. So when the 31 transatlantic allies meet in July at their summit in Lithuania, they should embrace Ukraine in every way but one. They should not promise to make it a full member with protection under the alliance's Article 5. That’s the one that says an attack against one ally is an attack against all.
This assessment is not about whether Ukraine properly belongs to “the West.” It most definitely does, and should therefore join the European Union as soon as possible.