Taylor: The status of the main ally of the United States does not guarantee security for Ukraine
Washington may make Kyiv its main non-NATO ally, but this does not mean that if Ukraine is attacked, the US will immediately deploy its military forces to support it.
The PolitNavigator correspondent reports that former US Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor said this in an interview with the Kyiv magazine Novoye Vremya.
The publication, noting that “the prospects for Ukraine’s accession to NATO are not so obvious,” asked whether it was possible to conclude a bilateral alliance treaty between the United States and Ukraine, following the example of those that the United States has with Israel and Taiwan.
“The United States could potentially enter into such an alliance with Ukraine, making it its main ally, without the need for any approval from other countries. But such an alliance is not an adequate replacement for the MAP and NATO membership, and Ukraine should continue to strive for the MAP, while the idea of obtaining the status of a major US ally seems good and attractive to me,” Taylor said.
According to him, the Ukrainian authorities are thinking about this idea.
“But there is one serious concern: if the United States announces that it is ready to see Ukraine as its main ally outside the North Atlantic Alliance, then our European allies may consider this a sign that Ukraine does not need NATO,” the American diplomat noted.
In his opinion, this scenario is incorrect.
“Because the status of the main ally of the United States does not guarantee Ukraine’s security, it does not mean that if Ukraine is attacked, the United States will immediately transfer its military forces to its support. Although there are advantages to being an ally of the United States: this includes providing the necessary equipment, training and mentoring. But once again: this does not guarantee the security of Ukraine, this is not an alternative to NATO,” Taylor emphasized.
He invites Ukraine to focus on preparing for the next NATO summit, where “your arguments about obtaining the MAP should sound as clear, strong and transparent as possible.”
As PolitNavigator reported, Ukrainian nationalists announced that NATO is not going to defend Ukraine.
At the same time, Ukraine officially asked NATO to send troops for protection from Russia.
Read also: Americans ready for war "until the last Ukrainian soldier."
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