The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Tuesday (15/8) affirmed its support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity following comments by senior officials.
While speaking at a panel discussion in Norway, the Chief of Staff of the Secretary General of NATO, Stian Jenssen, proposed that Ukraine relinquish part of its territory to Russia.
In return, according to Jenssen, Ukraine would have membership in NATO in order to end the war.
“In my opinion, the solution is that Ukraine relinquishes territory and the reward for that is NATO membership,” he said.
However, “it is up to Ukraine to decide when and on what conditions it needs to negotiate,” Jenssen said, as quoted in a report by the Norwegian tabloid Verdens Gang on Tuesday.
However, Jenssen said that the proposal was one of the possible solutions, not NATO’s official position on the matter.
An official NATO source commented on the statement.
“We fully support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as NATO leaders emphasized at the Vilnius summit in July. We will continue to support Ukraine for as long as needed and we are committed to establishing a just and lasting peace,” the NATO source said.
NATO has repeatedly stated that it will be up to Ukraine to decide on the timing and terms of its desired peace with Russia.
Ukrainian officials, on social media, condemned Jenssen’s remarks.
“Talking about Ukraine joining NATO in exchange for giving up some territory is a completely unacceptable view,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said on Facebook.
“We always assumed that the alliance, like Ukraine, was not trading territory,” he said.
“The participation of NATO officials in shaping the narrative regarding the possibility of Ukraine relinquishing such territory would benefit Russia,” Nikolenko said.
Ukraine’s presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on X social media that giving up territory — in return for membership in NATO — could mean deliberately defeating democracy.
He also considered this step, “encouraging crime around the world, maintaining the Russian regime, undermining international law, and passing on war to other generations
Source : Antara News
