Kissinger: "Ukraine Should Be Treated as a NATO Member"

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger stated that Ukraine should be treated as one of the members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

According to the American daily The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 14th, in an interview, Kissinger said, "As a result of this war, I believe Ukraine must be treated as a member of NATO, whether officially or unofficially, in some way."

Kissinger revealed, "I supported Ukraine's full independence, but I thought the country's best role was similar to that of Finland." However, he stated that now the die has been cast, according to WSJ.

Earlier, Kissinger sparked controversy by suggesting that the reckless policies of the U.S. and NATO earlier this year might have triggered the Ukraine crisis, and he expressed the opinion that Ukraine serving as a buffer between Russia and the West would be more conducive to stability.

In an interview with WSJ, Kissinger anticipated that a mutual agreement would be reached at the level where Russia continues to control the Crimean Peninsula, which it forcibly annexed in 2014, and parts of the Donbas region in Ukraine.