Although there has not yet been a war between Russia and Ukraine, the situation in the border area between the two countries is uncertain, and the uncertainty of the situation has made Ukrainian President Zelenskiy very tormented. In order to ensure that Ukraine's security is fully guaranteed, on February 19, local time, Zelenskiy went to Munich, Germany, to attend the 58th Munich Security Conference. Zelenskiy, a party to the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, gave media interviews before the meeting began, calling for the need for NATO to take a tougher stance and measures against Russia, and the current actions did not put pressure on Moscow.
At the same time, Zelenskiy also demanded that the West abandon its "appeasement" policy toward Russia and give Ukraine "a clear answer as to whether it can join NATO." It is reported that the Munich Security Conference mainly discussed Russia's relations with Western countries, but due to the current situation, Russia was absent from the meeting, which was also the first time since 1999.
According to Reuters, the meeting will focus on the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. Since the Crimean Peninsula referendum in March 2014 and joining Russia, Relations between Russia and Ukraine have been locked in ongoing tensions. In the face of a militarily powerful Russia, Ukraine tried to find a "patron" that could be relied on for national security, so joining NATO became Ukraine's goal.
In December 2014, then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko submitted a bill to the Ukrainian parliament on Ukraine's renunciation of non-aligned status, which was passed with high approval ratings, a move that also removed legal obstacles to Ukraine's accession to NATO. Poroshenko said strengthening relations with NATO and eventually entering NATO is Ukraine's national policy and a priority to ensure Ukraine's national security. After Zelenskiy came to power in May 2019, Ukraine came closer to NATO and seemed to see hope of joining NATO.
However, within NATO, there is still a big controversy about whether to accept Ukraine. The current NATO secretary-general, Stoltenberg, has repeatedly expressed support for Ukraine to join the group. But other countries disagree, with German Chancellor Schoerz saying it is not the right time to discuss Ukraine's accession to NATO, and according to a latest poll, more than half of the German public opposes Ukraine's joining NATO, with less than a third supporting it.
There is also Croatian President Zoran Milanovic, who said that Ukraine's accession to NATO would be detrimental to Croatian interests, and if war broke out between Russia and Ukraine, Croatia would withdraw its soldiers from NATO troops stationed in the region. Even the United States, which supports Ukraine, is ambiguous about Ukraine's accession to NATO. Previously, a Ukrainian lawmaker exposed to the media that the United States and Russia have reached a tacit understanding that Ukraine will never join NATO.
Although there are different opinions within NATO, Zelenskiy did not abandon Ukraine's plan to join NATO, according to Reuters, in order to obtain a "quasi-letter" from NATO, Zelenskiy even began to be anxious and moved out of a very sensitive nuclear issue. Zelenskiy said in an interview that in 1994, For the security of Russia and the West, Ukraine sacrificed itself and gave up nuclear weapons.
According to the Budapest Memorandum of Understanding signed by Ukraine with Russia and Western countries, Western countries have an obligation to ensure Ukraine's security. Now that Ukraine has fulfilled its treaties and destroyed its nuclear weapons, and now faces security threats, it is time for the West to deliver on its promises. Russian media said Zelenskiy's remarks were a warning to Western countries that if NATO did not accept Ukraine, Ukraine would abandon its non-nuclear policy.
It is worth noting that before Zelenskiy made the above remarks, there were not a few people in Ukraine who demanded the resumption of the possession of nuclear weapons. Last April, Ukraine's ambassador to Germany, Andrei Merinik, said on a television show that if Ukraine could not become a member of NATO, it was necessary for Ukraine to regain its nuclear status for its own security.
Merinik said Ukraine's membership in NATO would make the group stronger and more beneficial to Ukraine. But if it can't enter NATO, Ukraine can only rely on its own strength, and the development of nuclear weapons is a good choice. However, now Ukraine, first, has not developed the technology of nuclear weapons, and second, it does not have enough funds, even if it wants to restore nuclear weapons, it is unlikely.
In response to the current situation in Russia and Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said a fair word, and the biggest question now is not whether Ukraine will join NATO, but whether NATO should stop eastward expansion. As a product of the Cold War, is there still a need for NATO to exist? It needs to be comprehensively re-examined, and NATO's strategic policies should be adjusted in the context of a new era. It should take the maintenance of peace and stability in Europe and the realization of long-term peace and stability in the European region as the starting point, rather than blindly creating panic and playing up war.