That time Ukraine tried to join NATO — and NATO said no

Washington Post ^ | September 4 at 3:37 PM | http://www.washingtonpost.com/people/adam-taylor

[FreeReign]

...During NATO's 2008 summit in Bucharest, Romania, the issue was discussed and, after opposition from France and Germany, a decision was made to offer neither Ukraine nor Georgia a NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP) — essentially a path for Ukraine to receive membership — at that moment. Vague promises of NATO membership in the future were made, but the United States later appeared to drop its support for NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia. Russia's brief war with Georgia in August 2008 helped underscore the decision's importance, but NATO and Ukraine held further talks in December. Again, however, no specific MAP was announced.

Yushchenko seemed despondent after the Bucharest summit. "I am sure that the ball is not on the Ukrainian side of the field, Ukraine has done everything it had to do," the Ukrainian president told the Times of London in November 2008. "We are devoted to this pace. Everything else is an issue of political will of those allies who represent NATO."

Ukraine's hopes of joining NATO finally ended in 2010, when Yushchenko lost the presidential election to Viktor Yanukovych, the man he had helped oust during the Orange Revolution and the man forced out by protests earlier this year...

[Bubba_Leroy]

NATO is a joke and Putin knows it.

[Vendome]

And NATO still says no, as they don’t want to get into a war with Russia.

Uhmmmm....WTF is NATO for, if not to protect its interests?

Pussies....

[FreeReign]

NATO is a joke and Putin knows it.

That's just an opinion at this point in time. Putin has yet to cross the line.

[ansel12]

The article is about Ukraine not being a member of NATO, do you think that Putin thinks that he could defeat NATO?

[FreeReign]

And NATO still says no, as they don’t want to get into a war with Russia. Uhmmmm....WTF is NATO for, if not to protect its interests? Pussies....

We have Putinistas here who claim that NATO is scheming to expand into Ukraine.

[SeeSharp]

Europe pretty much did the same thing to Turkey and now they too are moving into the problem column.

[Bubba_Leroy]

The article is about Ukraine not being a member of NATO, do you think that Putin thinks that he could defeat NATO?

In think that Putin knows that NATO is not going to war over Russia invading Ukraine or any of the other former Soviet territories. Hell, I don't think that NATO would even go to war if Russia invaded Poland.

[Bubba_Leroy]

Pussies....

Eloquently and succinctly stated.

[ansel12]

Let’s hope that America has not surrendered to Putin already.

[Bubba_Leroy]

If Putin gets completely out of control, Obama may threaten to cancel Putin's Netflix account.

He won't actually do it, because that would be going too far. But he may threaten to do it.

[nathanbedford]

As one who lives in Germany, I confess to a degree of schadenfreude on observing moments of apprehension among my German neighbors over Ivan. Just yesterday a Ukrainian refugee of our acquaintance came to our door and was terribly apprehensive about the future of her country to which she is terrified to return. She concedes the Crimea is lost and questions whether the eastern provinces will also go. She is certainly concerned for the Western part of Ukraine.

If Obama's fecklessness has done anything good it has been to begin to alert Europeans to the need to see to their own defense. They are clearly a day late and a dollar short but the direction at least has changed.

The downside of NATO for the United States is much like our commitments to countries like Korea and to some degree Israel, they commit us to making wars on behalf of smaller countries which might lead to nuclear conflagration, would certainly cost us a fortune in dollars, and might well generate considerable casualties with uncertain chances of victory. In effect, we give away power over our foreign policy and even mortgage our right to make or to refrain from making war.

It is a very dangerous policy in the nuclear age to make the United States hostage or a tripwire to deter tyrants. We should identify core national strategic interests and make firm alliances with those nations, like Great Britain, who are pivotal to our survival.

[ansel12]

It may amuse you, but it isn’t amusing, Putin is rebuilding an enemy empire.

[grania]

I suspect Obama would declare war on Russia if he could arm other people to do the fighting. He does seem to like having the power to create chaos. I would think at least some leaders in Europe might come to their senses and work for stability with Russia.

[Vendome]

Hey, I dig Putin in some ways, as my imaginary friend but, NATO should have included former USSR satellite states to blunt any ambitions from a future agressor.

[Objective Scrutator]

When you consider that the socialist EU and the US seem to be willing to capitulate entirely to Islam, and also consider that Putin is at least somewhat willing to deal with Russia’s Muslim problem (although, unfortunately, not on the level of Stalin), it may just be in the Crimea’s interests to ally with Russia over the EU. NATO seems to be more than willing to help out Islam spread across the world like the cancer it is.

[FreeReign]

I suspect Obama would declare war on Russia if he could arm other people to do the fighting.

Guess again.

Ukraine asked for weapons and Obama said no.

[Bubba_Leroy]

It may amuse you, but it isn’t amusing, Putin is rebuilding an enemy empire.

I do not find it at all amusing. If I don't try to laugh I will have an irresistible urge to hide under a desk in fetal position like I was taught in the "duck and cover" nuclear war drills in elementary school (yeah, I am that old).

The world is going to hell and Obama is leading the charge.

[Jim from C-Town]

Yet to cross that line, really?

We know how Obama handles red lines.

[FreeReign]

Yet to cross that line, really?

Putin invaded a NATO country? Really?