Francis Fukuyama on the counteroffensive: Ukraine must regain the South and become a member of NATO

Any peace agreements without Ukraine joining NATO are disadvantageous for the country, as this can allow Russia to reinforce its troops and carry on with the war.

Francis Fukuyama, Professor at Stanford University stated this in his video address to the participants of the 15^th annual Kyiv Security Forum, established by Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s “Open Ukraine” Foundation.

“Under the current circumstances, peace talks and a temporary ceasefire are very negative for Ukraine, as this would leave Russia in control of Donbas, Crimea and the southern coast of Ukraine,” he said.

“There is an even deeper problem. As long as Vladimir Putin is in power, any “peace agreements” simply allow Russia to reinforce its troops to resume the war at a later stage,” stressed Francis Fukuyama.

He believes that “only Ukraine’s membership in NATO and the guarantees provided for in Article 5 can deter Russia from resuming the war in future.”

“NATO membership becomes a reality if, through its counteroffensive, Ukraine regains the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions on the Black Sea coast,” said Professor at Stanford University.

“Fearing slow strangulating blockade of Crimea, Putin may decide to end attacking Ukraine, unblock Ukrainian ports on a long-term basis, and stop terrorist missile attacks of Ukrainian cities,” he added.

Francis Fukuyama emphasized that viability of any agreements with Russia depends on Ukraine’s membership in NATO.

“Any NATO member country doubting this should honestly admit that any peace arrangement possible in the coming years will be just another short-term ceasefire and an opportunity for Russia to reinforce, rebuild its armed forces and then resume the war,” he summarized.

Noteworthy, the 15^th annual Kyiv security forum “For Our and Your Freedom / Fighting for NATO” will be held on May 25-26, 2023, with the participation of well-known international figures. In particular, at the Forum, the KSF Security Council will be formed and a policy document will be adopted with recommendations for the NATO summit in Vilnius to be held this July.