Mölling: Partial admission of Ukraine into NATO conceivable “interim solution”

Podcast “Ukraine – The Situation”
Security expert Mölling: For Ukraine to be admitted, NATO must be prepared to wage war against Russia

Should Ukraine join NATO? That is possible, says security expert Mölling. To do this, the alliance must be ready to wage war against Russia. “It’s a total dilemma situation,” he says in the podcast “Ukraine – Die Lage”.

Security expert Christian Mölling considers it conceivable that parts of the country controlled by the government in Kiev could be included in NATO while the war against Russia is still going on. Mölling showed up on Friday in the star-Podcast”Ukraine – the situation” skeptical that the West can protect Ukraine without risking a war with Russia. “It’s a total dilemma situation,” he said.

The two goals – protection for Ukraine and security from war – did not go together. “If you’re not willing to go to war for Ukraine if necessary, then you’re missing a decisive argument or a decisive opportunity – then you draw a red line that your opponent can virtually jump over.” But that was “totally bad in terms of deterrence”. At the same time, there are some arguments against the solution of not including Ukraine until after the war. This perspective would be “a signal to Moscow”: Russia only has to prolong the war to prevent accession.

A drone attack does not automatically mean war

According to Mölling, the integration of parts of Ukraine into the western alliance would be “an interim solution.” He vehemently denied that drone attacks on Kiev, for example, were sufficient in such a scenario to trigger NATO partners to enter the war. “But a war means someone has made preparations to take over a country,” he said. “It’s not a drone attack.” The principle of proportionality always applies.

Irrespective of these considerations, Mölling assumed that the forthcoming NATO summit in Vilnius would not result in any far-reaching decisions on Ukraine’s integration. “In terms of political symbolism, there is a need to take some kind of next step,” he said. However, the United States is “not convinced that Ukraine will be brought into NATO at this point in time.” But in the end it is up to them. “For the Central and Eastern Europeans in particular, support from the Americans is key,” he said. They put their trust in the USA and its deterrent capability and nuclear arsenal – and not in its European partners. The USA would therefore have considerable leverage in its hands. He also does not expect that dealings with Ukraine have the potential to drive a wedge in the alliance. “That would be the stupidest thing you could do,” he said.

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