Though the prospect of peace still seems distant, USA And Europe they are already discussing how they can guarantee her safety Ukrainian when the war finally ends. The case of West Germany may be a model upon which plans for the future may be based.

Despite its division and its unique role as a country between two nuclear superpowers, West Germany became a member of NATO in 1955. his period cold war.

In the case of Ukraine, everything will be judged by how the front will look after the upcoming Ukrainian counterattack. If progress is satisfactory, discussion of a truce may return even towards the end of the war. As their annual meeting NATO approaching, many member countries are discussing what they can offer President Zelenskywho insists on certain guarantees for his country’s future membership in the Alliance. Everyone agrees that the current state of the country cannot and should not be an insurmountable obstacle.

Germany is an example of NATO admitting a country with “significant and unresolved territorial issues” and a form of hostile occupation, said Angela Stedt, author of Putin’s World.

Frozen Collision

“When West Germany joined NATO, what could be called a frozen conflict emerged,” he said. “Still, it was considered very important to gain a foothold in the Alliance. The Russians protested about this and said that it was too dangerous, but they were powerless to prevent it,” he added. The then chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, preferred security to territorial gains, and the Germans honored him with re-election.

Ukraine, of course, is another matter. When West Germany joined NATO it was not at war with East Germany and furthermore both countries were internationally recognized. While the desire for unification remained, the reality was that the borders established by the war effort were not easy to change. As Charles Kupchan and Richard Haas argued in their article in foreign affairsit is unlikely that the long-awaited counterattack will knock them out completely Russians from territory of Ukraine and Ukrainians are afraid that ceasefire after this phase, it will lead to a constant wave of anxiety. “A truce by no means means the end of the war. It’s just a long wait until it starts again,” they note.

“The only security guarantee for Ukraine is NATO membership,” Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kalas said a few weeks ago. “The reason why we don’t have a war with Russia on the border is because we are members of the Alliance,” he added, while not hiding the fact that it is “much cheaper” for the West to have Ukraine as part of NATO than it should be. fully equip the country every 50 years.