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NATO unequipped to promote democracy within Ukraine should latter be admitted — expert

According to Mark Hanna, NATO is designed to defend countries which are already democratic, but it’s wholly unequipped to promote democracy within those countries

WASHINGTON, September 18. /TASS/. Granting Ukraine membership in the North Atlantic Alliance will not help in strengthening democracy in the country, Mark Hanna, a senior researcher at the Eurasia Group Foundation consulting company, stated in a piece published by the Politico newspaper.

The analyst notes that in the public field one can hear opinions that the conflict in Ukraine is "ground zero of a global struggle between democracy and autocracy". Thus, Hanna points out, analysts see Ukraine as a "battle-tested soldier for democracy," and therefore favor Ukraine's membership in NATO. Kiev's entry into the alliance, in their estimation, would prevent the further destruction of democracy in the country.

"But that argument misses an important distinction: NATO is designed to defend countries which are already democratic, but it’s wholly unequipped to promote democracy within those countries. So Ukraine’s membership in NATO, contrary to the conventional wisdom, wouldn’t bolster the cause of Ukrainian democracy," the expert said.

NATO's charter states that candidates to join the alliance should independently monitor the adherence to the principles of democracy, uphold individual freedom and the rule of law, the newspaper wrote, but, according to the expert, "it fails to prevent democratic backsliding once countries join the alliance."

Kiev's plans to join NATO

Following the NATO summit, which was held in Vilnius on July 11-12, 2023, Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the bloc's member states had made "three steps towards Ukraine": it was decided not to require the implementation of the Action Plan for NATO membership, a multi-year program of military assistance to Kiev was approved and the creation of the Ukraine-NATO Council was approved. The final statement said that an invitation to NATO would be extended to Ukraine after agreement between the allies "when all conditions are met". Kiev's fulfillment of the conditions for joining the organization will be assessed by its members.

Later, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview published in newspapers of the Funke editorial group that Ukraine would join the alliance sooner or later, but did not specify when.

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