Estonia recalled the choice between joining NATO and nuclear weapons when discussing guarantees for Ukraine

NATO countries should not deprive Kiev of the opportunity to join the alliance, because without NATO support, Ukraine will be in a “gray zone” and will be able to rely only on “increasingly destructive weapons” in the confrontation with Russia, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said in an interview with Newsweek.

According to him, if the fifth article of the NATO treaty, which provides for collective defense against attack, does not apply to Ukraine, then the West will encourage Kiev to form defense according to the “hedgehog strategy” – the creation of defense in depth. This will harm the country’s European integration, and will also give a “negative signal about security, investment guarantees and everything else.”

Reinsalu also said that the “only guarantee” for Ukraine, other than joining NATO, “would be the supply of nuclear weapons,” but such a move is “impossible and undesirable” due to the alliance’s non-proliferation obligations.

According to the head of the Estonian Foreign Ministry, assurances about NATO’s commitment to the “open door” policy and the possible membership of Ukraine are not enough. If the alliance does not consider Kyiv as a possible member of the bloc, sooner or later the conflict will repeat and the alliance “will be involved in a world or European war,” the diplomat stressed.