During an interview, Germany’s permanent representative to NATO, Ruediger Konig, told Dein Spiegel that NATO is not obliged to offer direct military assistance to Ukraine. He also stated that its members want to avoid a major war.
Dein Spiegel is the youth version of Der Spiegel magazine.
The Russian invasion was a hot topic.
“We had peace, and now we see all of a sudden that one country is attacking another one just like that, in Europe,” the official said.
He stressed that the military alliance as a whole, however, has no legal obligation to help Kiev repel Moscow’s attack as Ukraine is not a member state.
The official explained that Article 5 of NATO’s treaty cannot be activated. Article 5 requires all member nations to back up the target nation.
Konig indicated that the military bloc wants to avoid getting actively involved in the conflict at all costs because “this would mean a very big war.”
It is something “nobody wants,” the diplomat said.
Is he sure about Biden and his Bidenistas? It sure looks like they want war.
TRANSLATION
Dein SPIEGEL: Has your work changed since February 24, the attack on Ukraine?
König: Yes, very much. That was a crucial event. Chancellor Scholz has found an apt word for it: a turning point. We had peace, and now we suddenly see a state attacking another state, just like that, in Europe. We never would have thought that. In NATO, we discuss almost every day how we want to deal with this attack.
Dein SPIEGEL: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly asked for help from NATO.
König: Ukraine is not a NATO member. So there is no “alliance case” that would mean that we all together help Ukraine to defend itself. We also do not want NATO to take an active part in this war.
Dein SPIEGEL: Why shouldn’t NATO get actively involved?
König: That would mean a very big war in which 30 other countries would suddenly be involved. Nobody wants that.
The interviewer asked how Germany could help Ukraine and König explained that they send weapons and money and impose sanctions.
He then discussed what could lead to peace – nothing.
Dein SPIEGEL: What could peace in Ukraine look like after the war?
König: It is very difficult to answer that because nothing is moving in negotiations at the moment. Ukraine is rightly demanding that the Russians withdraw and return the Ukrainian lands they occupied. These are regions in the east of the country and also Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula that Russia took control of in 2014. On the other hand, Russia does not want to give these areas back. Vladimir Putin also wants the Ukrainian government to be abolished and for the country to be run by someone he can control. These different positions are not compatible.
The administration and many Republicans believe we must fight through Ukraine to save democracy. It’s the Bush mantra that we must fight them over there to keep them from coming here. They also believe that Russia and China have expansionist goals, and it must be addressed.
Lastly, one of the arguments is that it provides Americans jobs in the defense industry.
What do you all think about this? Keep in mind that if you disagree, you could be labeled a Putin puppet or an isolationist.
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