Some nations could send troops to defend Ukraine, says ex-NATO chief

Some NATO countries that share a border with Russia might send troops to Ukraine on their own if alliance members, including the U.S., fail to provide “tangible security guarantees” at the upcoming summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.

Suppose NATO members can’t agree on a clear path forward for Ukraine. In that case, there is a “clear possibility” that some countries might take action to support Kyiv, including putting “boots on the ground,” Mr. Rasmussen said in remarks published in The Guardian newspaper.

“I think the Poles would seriously consider going in to assemble a ‘coalition of the willing’ if Ukraine doesn’t get anything in Vilnius,” Mr. Rasmussen said. “We shouldn’t underestimate the Polish feelings. The Poles feel that for too long western Europe did not listen to their warnings against the true Russian mentality.”

Current NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said all member states agree that Ukraine will eventually join the alliance. During a recent meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo, Norway, Mr. Stoltenberg said the most important task at hand is to ensure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign and independent state. 

“We don’t know when the war ends. But we must ensure that, when it does, we have credible arrangements in place to guarantee Ukraine’s security in the future and to break Russia’s cycle of aggression,” Mr. Stoltenberg said.

Some NATO allies might be in favor of offering Ukraine security guarantees to avoid discussing Kyiv’s desire to join the alliance. But Mr. Rasmussen, who led NATO from 2009-14, said he’s confident the issue of membership will be raised at the July 11-12 summit in Vilnius.

“I’ve spoken with several eastern European leaders, and there is a ground of hardcore, eastern (and) central European allies that want, at least, a clear path for Ukraine toward NATO membership,” Mr. Rasmussen said. “Anything less than that would be a disappointment to Ukraine.”

Mr. Rasmussen also rejected notions that NATO membership should be offered to Ukraine only after its war with Russia ends. Such a decision would effectively give Russian President Vladimir Putin an incentive not to seek any kind of settlement with Ukraine, he said.