In brief
Lise Howard and Michael O’Hanlon propose a framework outside NATO that could allow Western troops to help defend Ukraine after another Russian attack. Their proposal does not constitute an agreement between governments.
Georgetown University political scientist Lise Howard and Brookings Institution defence scholar Michael O’Hanlon have outlined a possible security framework for Ukraine outside NATO, according to UNIAN’s account of their Washington Post article. They argue that a limited truce emerging from negotiations would not necessarily end the war.
The authors say the United States should facilitate an agreement involving Russia, Ukraine, NATO and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Under their scenario, Ukraine would forgo NATO membership in exchange for a separate security arrangement allowing members to help defend one another’s territory. UNIAN’s report does not describe agreement by the proposed participants.
If Russia attacked Ukraine again, the framework could allow Western countries to send troops to operate air and missile defence systems and possibly repair and maintain equipment. The authors envisage no peacetime deployment in Ukraine or planning for counteroffensives into Russian territory.
They also propose United Nations and OSCE observers on the Ukraine–Russia border to detect and report ceasefire violations. These measures remain the authors’ proposals; UNIAN does not report that the framework has been established or observers deployed.
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