EU Official Admits Promising Ukraine To Join NATO Was A Mistake

Joseph Borrel. (Wikimedia Commons/France Diplomacy - MEAE)

JAKARTA - The West made the mistake of promising Ukraine membership of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said in an interview with the LCI TV channel.

"There were times where we could have reacted better. For example, we proposed things we couldn't guarantee, in particular Ukraine's accession to NATO. This never materialized. I think it was a mistake to make promises that we couldn't keep," said Borell, citing TASS March 12.

The head of European diplomacy also admitted that Western countries had made mistakes in building relations with Russia.

"Thus, we missed the opportunity to bring Russia closer to the West to prevent it."

As previously reported, Ukraine's joining with NATO and the deployment of the pact's missiles in Eastern Europe has become Moscow's concerns that have sparked a debate with Kyiv. Ukraine is not a member of NATO but has pledged since 2008, to be given the opportunity to join, a move that would bring the US-led alliance to Russia's borders.

Ukraine's joining NATO and the pact's deployment of missiles in Eastern Europe are Moscow's concerns that have sparked a debate with Kyiv. Ukraine is not a member of NATO but has pledged since 2008, to be given the opportunity to join, a move that would bring the US-led alliance to Russia's borders.

For information, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in response to a request for assistance from the head of the Donbass Republic on 24 February.

He stressed Moscow has no plans to occupy Ukrainian territory, but aims to demilitarize and denazify the country. He also said that one of Moscow's main demands is for Ukraine to remain neutral (not to join the European Union and NATO).

As previously stated by the Director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service Sergey Naryshkin, this (Ukraine's neutral position) is very important for Russia, as it is the 'minimum territorial barrier' that the country needs to repel attacks from the West.