THE WEST CAN STILL PLACE “PUTIN’S GAMBIT” IN CHECK

THE WEST CAN STILL PLACE “PUTIN’S GAMBIT” IN CHECK BY GRANTING UKRAINE STATUS AS A MEMBER OF NATO

 

2014 Russian Incursion un the Crimea

It will be a strategy that NATO will deem as over-reaching, naïve and dangerous but will put Putin and Russia in check. NATO must expedite Ukraine's application to join the western alliance  and put on a path to full membership. NATO could grant Ukraine as an affiliate member while approval is pending they offer military assistance as an affiliate member. A move to grant Ukraine emergency status and place under the umbrella of military protection in support of a legitimate sovereign nation.

Sorry, President Putin all of your claims and demands are now rote. There is little doubt that the original members will deem this move as “unfeasible” and a risk they are not willing to take. History will record the action unprecedented and controversial in the Post-Cold War era.

However, these are not ordinary times and Russia’s aggression demands a strong emergency response. Afterall, Putin does not follow the rules of international diplomacy thus why not adopt the strategy?

The West would gain a superior advantage in diplomatic negotiations. The deployment of ally troops along thousands of miles bordering Russia will serve as a countermove to Putin’s Gambit” that he cannot ignore. Both sides risk escalation into a much wider confrontation or a world war. The outcome is not assured but Putin will have to retreat from the border and end any further conflict

Just as Russia has surrounded Ukraine, the West should place a strong military deterrent by the immediate deployment along their Western and Northern borders. The West can ill afford another weak response as democracy hangs in the balance.

More to come