A Russian Security Council official said Thursday that Ukraine joining NATO would guarantee World War III when commenting on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent attempt to join the alliance.
After Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a speech on annexing Ukrainian territory on September 30, Zelensky submitted a “fast-track” application to join NATO, which was quickly shot down.
Alexander Venediktov, the deputy secretary of Russia’s Security Council, said that Zelensky’s application was a propaganda move. “Kyiv is well aware that such a step would mean a guaranteed escalation to World War Three,” he said.
Venediktov said that the US and its allies also recognize that Ukraine can’t join NATO without sparking a world war. “The suicidal nature of such a step is understood by NATO members themselves,” he said.
During the lead-up to Russia’s February 24 invasion, Putin was seeking a guarantee from the US that Ukraine won’t ever join NATO. Even though President Biden made clear at the time that Ukraine wouldn’t be joining the alliance anytime in the foreseeable future, he refused to make the promise.
Back in March, when seemingly discussing the period before the war, Zelensky said he asked for a straight answer about whether or not Ukraine would become a NATO member. He was told no, but that “publicly,” the door would remain open.
“I requested them personally to say directly that we are going to accept you into NATO in a year or two or five, just say it directly and clearly, or just say no,” he told CNN. “And the response was very clear, you’re not going to be a NATO member, but publicly, the doors will remain open.”
While NATO has no plans to accept Ukraine as a full member, Politico reported Wednesday that the alliance it is working on a 10-year plan to rebuild the country’s military and arms industry. The idea would be to focus on shifting the country from using Soviet equipment to primarily using NATO weapons, making it a de facto NATO member.
Wow. So the entire world, our little bit of livable space in a universe with many other planets but not any (actually) habitable ones that we know of, is about to kiss itself goodby. For the sake of posturing idiots who would rather kill us all than — use their words! I guess I should blame their mothers!
I don’t know if it is entirely fair to blame their mums… I blame video games…
Actually I do too. For a long time I’ve wondered why people think watching positive media has a good effect on behavior but doing the same with negative (eg, first person shooter) doesn’t.
And all fairness polish are pushing this agenda they want to reclaim old polish lands maybe if they didn’t talk so much bullshit to Russia, Russia would have gave it to them and then you would have had the Nazi problem. I really don’t understand why Poland supported Ukraine with the banderites.
I realize my primary point is: we Americans do not have a grasp on the complexities of European history and politics. We are a huge ocean away. This has been a blessing for the Americans as they can get on with their parochial lives (I’m including myself here). But when our republic becomes an overweening empire, who believes it knows all things, there is nothing but trouble.
“…the alliance it is working on a 10-year plan to rebuild the country’s military and arms industry. The idea would be to focus on shifting the country from using Soviet equipment to primarily using NATO weapons, making it a de facto NATO member….”
a 10 year plan. hahahah. The best laid plans of mice and men.
not gonna happen.
long before then, once the Russians take Odessa and rest of the Black Sea coast, Ukraine will be a landlocked rump state
and btw, it already is a de facto Nato state
dunno, michael…i’m familiar w/that pov…but it’s not clear to me that, w/continued massive infusions of increasingly deadly US military support by a right wing US w/little antiwar movement, this won’t be a ‘forever war’ on the edge of a nuclear precipice…
…it’s the nuclear part that terrifies me (hope readers are active, on the streets, talking to people via antiwar movements, not just posting)…
…precipice…picturing an old-fashioned corny ‘allegory’ type political cartoon with three men – identifiable as the US, Russia, and little Ukraine – furiously fighting each other – cartoon-y punching, hitting, biting, hair-pulling – as they roll obliviously down a mountain toward a cliff with a big picket sign sticking up with a skull and crossbones and ‘DANGER! NUCLEAR ARMAGEDDON!’ scrawled on it.
People seem to be a bit apathetic and not very demonstrative, in terms of participation…
ARTICLE QUERY FOR DAVE DE CAMP:
I thought when I first read this on antiwar that one article reported that it was the US that told Z that Ukraine would not be a member, and that it asked him not to say this publicly…
…am I simply misremembering what was originally reported?
Thank you…
So Ukraine would essentially become an unofficial member of NATO? I wonder if Russia will become privy to this and if so, how will they perceive Ukraine and NATO. Because it seems like NATO is well aware of the threat of allowing Ukraine to become an official member. But, surely they don’t think they can take loopholes while expecting Russia not to notice, right?
Every time I see a response from Blinken’s band the thought pops up … You just can’t fix The Stupid.
I think I am gonna get that put on a bumper sticker!
Is anyone going to have a WWIII Party?… I might, the only problem is that Black Russians are my favorite drink… I also enjoy White Russians… I think I will invent a new drink, which I will name: The NATO NUKE!
I think that Russia has every right to be a bit peevish…. I think this entire problem could be settled with a friendly card game…
“While NATO has no plans to accept Ukraine as a full member [NATO] is working on a 10-year plan to rebuild the country’s military and arms industry…making it a de facto NATO member.”
As analyzed by Antiwar yesterday, Z’s declarations that Ukraine was already a “de facto” member is true – he simply went public with the US’s post-2014 ‘creeping NATO-ization’ strategy: massive military, political and economic support, inclusion of Ukraine in NATO military exercises, upgrading of its pre-NATO status, and repeated avowals that Ukraine was managing its corruption and was ‘on track’ to becoming a member in the future.
The more the US/NATO surgically joined itself at the hip to Ukraine, the more “de facto” a member it would be, and the harder it would be for the NATO member holdouts to resist a ‘final step’ of formal membership.
Upshot: the US/NATO’s ‘not in the foreseeable future’ statements were both lies and – from a Russian security pov – irrelevant:’
The idea that ‘yea, they’re gonna be a member, but we’re creeping real slowly toward your border, so, you know, what’s the prob’? it’s not like you have reason to be concerned right away?
From the Russia pov, waiting in the face of this ‘stealth’ strategy simply made the final outcome more likely.
But – abetted by public anti-Russian feeling due to the thoroughly bogus Democratic concoction of Russiagate – the neocons continued to prevail, entirely fine if their brinkmanship eventuated in war. See, for the neocons it was win-win – Ukraine got brought into NATO, they won; Russia invaded? Yee-ha! Its WAR time, fellas!
Anti-nuclear anti-war actions across the US today (Friday, 10/14) – links in the below linked article to find an action in your city/state (here in my city of NYC, the action is Sunday at the UN):
“Let’s Defuse Nuclear War, Together
At this time of dire threat, we can’t sit back and rely on politicians to get it right,” KEVIN MARTIN, October 13, 2022
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/10/13/lets-defuse-nuclear-war-together
from the piece:
My organization, Peace Action, is part of a coalition called Defuse Nuclear War…This month, with the anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis as well as the current threat by Russia to use nukes in its faltering war in Ukraine, is a great time to get active. This Friday, local events are being organized in over 40 cities across the U.S.—including Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Albuquerque, Las Vegas, Dallas, Milwaukee, Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, Minneapolis, St. Louis, and many more—to sound the alarm. Please go to this page to find an event near you, and attend if you are able. If not, the website has other helpful tools and suggestions for action including writing letters to the editor (still a great way to get our message out to the public) and social media engagement.
I’ve also done some Peace Action events as well. Good organization.
When Russia says they would treat that as the “go” button, that takes us to a Cuban Missile Crisis moment, or Check Point Charlie in Berlin.
We were safely past that, until American leaders recklessly took us back to that with deliberate wild confrontation.