German Ambassador Ruge: Ukraine Already Part of Europe's Defense
German Ambassador to Ukraine Boris Ruge said Ukraine already contributes to Europe's common defense and expressed his conviction that European security with Ukraine's participation will be built around NATO. European Pravda reported his words from an interview.
Ruge noted that NATO leaders at the Washington summit determined that Ukraine's future lies in the Alliance. "But when that happens is a political question. Meanwhile, what has changed now is that Ukraine is no longer just a recipient of our aid. You have become an important component of Europe's common defense. We also need Ukraine, with its armed forces and its experience of modern warfare, to become part of our defense system," the ambassador said.
Security architecture
Asked about Europe's security structure and Ukraine's role in it, he answered: "In my view, it will all be built around NATO." He added: "I am a NATO man, albeit a former one, so it is logical that I reach this conclusion. But objectively, NATO is responsible for collective defense."
Ruge acknowledged that the U.S. role in the Alliance is changing, including its troop deployment priorities. "So Europeans will have to take more responsibility for their continent. At the same time, Ukraine is closer to the Alliance than ever. We have the NATO-Ukraine Council. We have the Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre in Bydgoszcz, Poland. We are already learning from Ukraine when it comes to unmanned systems," he said.
He said he does not know when exactly Ukraine will become a full NATO member. "But Germany wants the closest possible rapprochement between Ukraine and the Alliance. Because in fact you are already part of our collective defense," he concluded.
Context
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna recently said that admitting Ukraine to NATO could stop the spiral of war that began tightening in 2008 with Russia's attack on Georgia. In early July, Ukraine's ambassador to NATO, Alona Getmanchuk, said the goal of joining the Alliance remains unchanged and that more countries understand that Ukraine's membership is more in NATO's own interest.