Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has signaled a U-turn in his views on Ukraine’s prospective NATO membership. The politician, who turns 100 on May 27, suggested that “for the safety of Europe, it is better to have Ukraine in NATO.”
Last fall, Kissinger insisted that “it was not a wise American policy to attempt to include Ukraine into NATO”, but claims the reason for his shift is two-fold.
“One, Russia is no longer the conventional threat it used to be. And, secondly, we have now armed Ukraine to a point where it will be the best-armed, most modern country and with the least experienced leadership in Europe,” he explained.
The former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev claimed that despite Kissinger’s vast experience, he was “totally wrong” to suggest that Ukrainian membership in NATO would somehow guarantee peace. Instead, it would only lead to a direct confrontation between Russia and the bloc.
