Cogito Ergo Non Serviam

NATO Troops on Exercises in Ukraine

There are at least 1,300 foreign troops in Ukraine right now. They come from 15 different countries, including the US and other NATO states. They are there with the consent and support of the government in Kyiv. Exercises under the code name Rapid Trident are taking place near Lviv. That's about 600 miles from where the uprising in eastern Ukraine is. Far enough not to be a direct provocation. Close enough to serve as a warning.

Although NATO had planned this exercise long before the current mess in eastern Ukraine began, Russia has been using NATO actions as a cover for its own belligerence. Just last week, President Vladimir Putin said "The crisis in Ukraine, which was provoked and staged by some of our Western partners, is being used to resuscitate this military bloc," Putin said at a meeting on the development of the state arms procurement program for 2016-2025. "It all should be and will be taken into account in the decision-making related to the national security of our country. We must do everything possible to guarantee this security," the president stressed.

NATO, of course, is an option for Ukraine along with EU membership, but even now, this is not certain. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Saturday during a Yalta European Strategy [YES] forum in Kyiv, "[Becoming a member of] NATO is not our goal yet, but when Russia has invaded Ukraine -- it has to be precisely and clearly stated that in such circumstances, NATO is the only opportunity to protect Ukraine. I realize that not all NATO members are content with such stance. I realize that in the short run NATO is not ready to accept Ukraine."

Russia will make much of the NATO operation in the media over the next several days. NATO would do well to ignore whatever is printed or broadcast. The statements from the Kremlin will be designed for domestic consumption. For instance, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said Thursday, that NATO's action in Ukraine would undermine the cease-fire in place there. "Such actions indeed may indeed fuel tensions and disrupt the progress that has been emerging in the Ukrainian peace settlement," he said.

The fact that Rapid Trident has gone forward is a clear signal that the Putinistas cannot ignore. NATO is more than prepared to put its troops in Ukraine to help Kyiv. Ukraine needn't be a member to benefit from NATO's protection because halting Russian aggression is in NATO's interests. In truth, the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine make it more likely that the cease-fire will hold. If it does not, there is no guarantee that NATO troops will stay clear of any hostilities. Innocent bystanders getting hit won't play well in the west.

After Rapid Trident, one expects NATO to keep some advisers in place in Ukraine. They may not number 1,300 like the exercises have, but their presence will serve the same function. They are there to act as a tripwire, just like America's troops in South Korea. They are not there to do anything other than offer a target that any aggressor would be foolish to hit. Russia has got away with killing thousands of Ukrainians via its agitators in Ukraine. It will not get away with killing NATO troops accidentally or any other way. As a result, Russia and the agitators have to be much more careful in what they do than previously.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports, "President Petro Poroshenko on Monday proposed a series of major concessions to end the uprising by pro-Russian rebels in restive eastern Ukraine, offering the separatists a broad amnesty and special self-governance status for territories they occupy. The proposal also includes protections for the Russian language and would allow the separatist-controlled regions to elect their own judges, create their own police forces and cultivate deeper ties to Russia -- while remaining part of Ukraine."

The rebels have rejected the idea, and pro-Western members of the Kyiv legislators think it goes too far. One expects the situation to freeze for a time. And the trip wire will remain.

© Copyright 2014 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.



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