«US doesn’t see Ukraine as NATO ally, but as de facto cannon fodder» — under this heading, the GT published an article about Kiev’s chances of joining NATO.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Friday that he would «pursue fast-track NATO membership», but the bid failed to draw enthusiasm in the USA. US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said now is «not the right time» for Ukraine to join the alliance and the application «should be taken up at a different time.» According to the publication, his main idea was this: the United States does not need Ukraine as a member of NATO, they need Ukraine to fight Russia.
Ukraine has not fully played its role, «value of Ukraine as a pawn has not yet been fully exploited by the US» the newspaper writes. The task of the United States is to exhaust Russia through the war with Ukraine. Until this goal is achieved, the crisis will continue, and Washington will not stop using Kiev for its own purposes.
“If now is not the “right time” to consider Ukraine’s NATO membership, when will the appropriate time be?” GT asks rhetorically. “NATO has its criteria for those who apply for membership, including the clause that candidates must pursue the peaceful settlement of territorial and ethnic disputes. But Ukraine has been trapped in an ethnic conflict for a long time at home.<…> It would also be naïve to believe that the right timing will come after the end of the war. Despite the war being highly unlikely to end any time soon, NATO has a clear standard when it comes to expansion – to gain more advantage, rather than taking on a burden. Only when Ukraine develops itself into a stable and prosperous country without conflict both at home and broad will it be the realistic timing for it to become a NATO member.»