Ukraine needs support of the West on scale of Marshall Plan – NATO PA report

This is stated in the report on the situation in Ukraine, presented by Canada’s Senator Jane Cordy at the NATO PA annual session in London.

 “Ukraine needs a truly ambitious and well-resourced assistance package, perhaps even on the scale of the Marshall Plan that ensured the reconstruction of Western Europe in the wake of World War II. The success of Ukraine with the assistance of NATO and the EU would also bolster the raison d'être of both organisations,” the report reads.

The document’s author makes a conclusion that Ukraine is still a long way from meeting membership criteria in NATO and the EU, but the prospects for future membership in these organisations should be an impetus for Ukraine’s economic, political and social development

 “It [Ukraine] must be given a clear signal that membership is attainable once all membership criteria are met. The Euro-Atlantic community has to demonstrate patience and flexibility towards Ukraine; its approach to Ukraine should be political rather than bureaucratic,” Senator Jane Cordy notes.

She notes that apart from financial aid, Ukraine will continue to need Western material assistance in acquiring equipment and platforms in order to be able to defend itself and its borders.

 “NATO’s consistent and substantial presence in the Black Sea is a strategic necessity. The Euro-Atlantic community should also continue exerting pressure on Russia to stop destabilising Ukraine, to comply with Minsk II, to  immediately return those political prisoners who remain imprisoned, to ensure freedom of navigation in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, and to stop human rights abuses in occupied Ukrainian territories,” the report highlights.

The author of the report emphasises that Russian authorities should be reminded at every opportunity that illegal occupation and annexation of Crimea will never be recognized.

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