Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that “in a certain way” NATO is participating in the war unleashed in Ukraine by the Russian Federation, but is not part of the conflict and will not send troops there.
The alliance’s “certain” involvement in the war, he said during a discussion in the European Parliament’s foreign affairs and defense committee on Tuesday, can be recognized because of arms assistance:
“NATO is not part of the war (in Ukraine). As to whether we consider every single member of the Alliance part of the war – partly yes, we should not hide it.”
At the same time, Rasmussen stressed that Ukraine has every right to defend itself and ask for help from its partners, so military assistance from allies is in line with international law in accordance with the UN Charter:
“We should not be surprised that we are, to a greater or lesser extent, part of this war in order to protect Ukraine. This is fully consistent with international law. Peace with a dictator will lead not to peace, but to conflict and war. We are responsible for ending the war: than bigger and heavier weapons, and the sooner they are sent to Ukraine, the sooner we can end this war.”
The former NATO Secretary General noted that he personally supports providing Kyiv with all the necessary assistance and expressed confidence that a further increase in military support for Ukraine will not lead to an escalation, and Russia will not use nuclear weapons in response – just as the Alliance will not send its troops to Ukrainian territory.
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