By LARYSA DIR

The mechanism of collective defense is a potential powerful means of protection, especially against the aggressive policy of those who, knowing how to read, cannot comprehend the content of the UN Charter. Maybe because the founding document does not at all mention such a state “Z”, but de facto the terrorist-state is a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

The question remains – how does a state, whose political regime is recognized by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe as a terrorist one, is changing world order with cruise missiles and Iranian drones, wickedly using the right to veto???

The crooked state continues to use this right in these 248 days after the start of the large-scale invasion on Ukraine.

For Ukraine, 248 bloody days are directly associated with Irpin, Bucha, Gostomel, Makariv, Lyman, Izyum, Mariupol, Olenivka; 8 thousand people killed among civilian population – including 430 children, 11 thousand injured and disabled –  among which 822 children; 7.7 million citizens have fled Ukraine in search of shelter, 8 million – internally displaced persons; Russian filtration camps and torture rooms; tens of thousands of destroyed residential buildings, schools, hospitals, infrastructure facilities, thousands and thousands of destroyed energy and water supply facilities; 1/5 of Ukraine’s territory is under temporary occupation of a “permanent” member of the UN Security Council; 1/3 of Ukraine’s territory is yet to be demined following the invasion of that same “permanent” member of the UN Security Council.

The attack, managed from the red mausoleum square, is being stopped by the unseen courage of the Ukrainian defenders of Ukraine’s armed forces, the heroic resistance of those who are in the temporary occupied by the RF territories of Ukraine, those who save and pull out their fellow citizens from the ruins of destroyed buildings, those who prepare food, those who continue to teach the children, all those who safeguard the Ukrainian statehood.

The state that is carrying out genocide against the Ukrainian people is also being stopped by high-precision weapons according to NATO standards, as well as by the great support of the NATO member states.

Undoubtedly, the Alliance is a holding off force for the terrorist state; and this force has expanded to Europe’s northern flank, taking into consideration the military aggression against Ukraine.

On September 30, 2022, Ukraine signed an application for accelerated NATO membership, given the fact that our country is already an integral component of the Euro-Atlantic security, protecting NATO’s eastern flank.

With the systematic assistance of the members of the Alliance – military aid, training, exchange of information with limited access – Ukraine has significantly elevated the level of combat and combat capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as the compliance with NATO standards.

Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty provides for parties, with unanimous agreement, to be able to invite any other European country capable to implement the principles of this Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic region to accede this Treaty.

Ukraine is not only capable of implementing these principles and contributing to the security of the North Atlantic region, but moreover, the Ukrainians are protecting the general human values and security of Europe at the cost of their own lives.

During the war, the Ukrainian soldiers have already showed interoperability with the Alliance forces. The military capability of the Ukrainian soldiers is exceptionally high.

Since 2009, that is, in these 12 years, Ukraine, under the auspices of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, has been implementing Annual National Programs that include all areas of life and anticipate around 500 priority tasks, which in their essence are a NATO Membership Action Plan.

Ukraine, despite the large-scale aggression, remains a country that maintains its institutional capacity, continues to carry out reforms, remains accountable to those states that could end up on the verge of starvation due to the disrupted supply of Ukrainian wheat, and keeps to all social obligations.

The aggressor state has tried to annex territories of sovereign, independent Ukraine and is additionally threatening to use nuclear weapons. Under these conditions, the Alliance has to confirm its readiness to implement its decisions in regards to the policy of “open doors”, having in consideration also NATO’s strategic concept of 2022, where, among else, it has been determined that the main task of NATO’s nuclear potential is to preserve the peace, prevent coercion and deter the aggression.

Ukraine should be invited to start negotiations for joining NATO, because it is de facto part of the Euro-Atlantic area that needs protection.

In these conditions, if Ukraine joins NATO, the Alliance with significantly increase its own military potential, which will have an effect on reducing the risk of any military actions against NATO member states by potential enemies. The same will have a positive effect on increasing the level of national security for each NATO member state.

For further protection of the security of Europe, a Special Tribunal needs to be formed for the criminal aggression against Ukraine. Punishment for the war criminals, who under the light of Kremlin’s crystal lamps are annexing Ukrainian territories, has to be inevitable, having in consideration that they have committed crimes against the basics of human life.

The author is the Ambassador of Ukraine to North Macedonia. Photos: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

Translation: N. Cvetkovska