NATO's secretary general is willing to allow Ukraine into NATO
According to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) press release, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters that he is willing to allow Ukraine into NATO.
Rasmussen is quoted in the press release as saying, “It’s for Ukraine to decide. As you recall, NATO made a decision back in 2008 at the NATO summit in Bucharest that Ukraine and by the way Georgia will become members of NATO, provided they so wish and fulfill necessary criteria. This decision stands.”
Rasmussen’s statement was a response to Simon McGregor-Wood’s, a reporter with Al Jazeera, question concerning if this was the right time to allow Ukraine into NATO.
In February, protests erupted in Ukraine after former President Victor Yanukovych decided to accept a trade deal with Russia.
Many Ukrainians viewed Yanukovych’s decision as pro-Russian and he was ousted and replaced by Oleksandr Turchinov.
RT reported that the current situation between Russia and Ukraine is a result of the new Ukrainian government making it illegal to speak any language that is not Ukrainian.
This resulted in protests erupting in the heavily ethnic Russian populated region of Crimea. Russian President Vladimir Putin has argued that due to the ties between Crimea and Russia he had to go in and protect the Crimeans from discrimination by the new Ukraine government.
However, Putin’s actions are viewed by the United States and the European Union (EU) as a violation of international law. During a phone conversation with Putin, President Obama told Putin that he was infringing on Ukraine’s right as a sovereign nation and that Russia and Ukraine should try to resolve the issue through diplomacy.
According to the EU’s press release , Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council, warned Russia that the country’s continued presence in Crimea is a violation of international law; and that there will be serious consequences if Russia does not respect Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Rasmussen expressed a similar concern as the U.S. and EU. According to NATO’s press release, Rasmussen stated that the Russian-Ukrainian situation is a security issue for the region and that Russia infringed upon Ukraine’s right to sovereignty.
As a result, NATO has taken some steps in order to place pressure on Russia to leave Ukraine’s region. Among those steps are the suspension of a joint-mission to Syria and placing on hold the civilian and military meetings between NATO and Russia, as well as a review of the “NATO-Russia cooperation.”
Rasmussen also reiterated that NATO’s goal is to resolve the situation diplomatically through political dialogue and it is for this reason that NATO will continue meetings between NATO and Russian ambassadors
Rasmussen is quoted in the press release as saying, “It’s for Ukraine to decide. As you recall, NATO made a decision back in 2008 at the NATO summit in Bucharest that Ukraine and by the way Georgia will become members of NATO, provided they so wish and fulfill necessary criteria. This decision stands.”
Rasmussen’s statement was a response to Simon McGregor-Wood’s, a reporter with Al Jazeera, question concerning if this was the right time to allow Ukraine into NATO.
In February, protests erupted in Ukraine after former President Victor Yanukovych decided to accept a trade deal with Russia.
Many Ukrainians viewed Yanukovych’s decision as pro-Russian and he was ousted and replaced by Oleksandr Turchinov.
RT reported that the current situation between Russia and Ukraine is a result of the new Ukrainian government making it illegal to speak any language that is not Ukrainian.
This resulted in protests erupting in the heavily ethnic Russian populated region of Crimea. Russian President Vladimir Putin has argued that due to the ties between Crimea and Russia he had to go in and protect the Crimeans from discrimination by the new Ukraine government.
However, Putin’s actions are viewed by the United States and the European Union (EU) as a violation of international law. During a phone conversation with Putin, President Obama told Putin that he was infringing on Ukraine’s right as a sovereign nation and that Russia and Ukraine should try to resolve the issue through diplomacy.
According to the EU’s press release , Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council, warned Russia that the country’s continued presence in Crimea is a violation of international law; and that there will be serious consequences if Russia does not respect Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Rasmussen expressed a similar concern as the U.S. and EU. According to NATO’s press release, Rasmussen stated that the Russian-Ukrainian situation is a security issue for the region and that Russia infringed upon Ukraine’s right to sovereignty.
As a result, NATO has taken some steps in order to place pressure on Russia to leave Ukraine’s region. Among those steps are the suspension of a joint-mission to Syria and placing on hold the civilian and military meetings between NATO and Russia, as well as a review of the “NATO-Russia cooperation.”
Rasmussen also reiterated that NATO’s goal is to resolve the situation diplomatically through political dialogue and it is for this reason that NATO will continue meetings between NATO and Russian ambassadors
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