Ukraine DM Says It’s a ‘Fact’ That Kyiv Is a ‘De Facto’ NATO Member

• Ukraine DM Says It’s a ‘Fact’ That Kyiv Is a ‘De Facto’ NATO Member
  by Dave DeCamp, https://news.antiwar.com/
  Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told BBC on Friday that Ukraine is a “de facto” NATO member since it’s equipped with so many of the alliance’s weapons and dismissed the idea that his comments were controversial.
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  Reznikov said he was confident that Ukraine’s Western backers would supply Kyiv with warplanes and tanks despite some concerns about escalating the war. A day later, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed he would be sending Challenger 2 tanks.
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  “This concern about the next level of escalation, for me, is some kind of protocol,” Reznikov said. “Ukraine as a country, and the armed forces of Ukraine, became the member of NATO. De facto, not de jure [by law]. Because we have weaponry, and the understanding of how to use it.”
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  Reznikov made similar comments earlier this month when he said in an interview on Ukrainian TV that his country was “shedding blood” for a “NATO mission.” His view aligns with that of Russian officials who have repeatedly stated that they are not just fighting a war against Ukraine but also against the US and NATO.
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  In comments to BBC, Reznikov dismissed the idea that what he was saying is controversial even though it implicates NATO as a direct party to the conflict. “Why [would it be] controversial? It’s true. It’s a fact. I’m sure that in the near future, we’ll become member of NATO, de jure,” he said.
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  The implication that NATO is directly involved in the war gives Russia a pretext to launch an attack on NATO bases in Europe if it chooses to do so. Right now, there’s no sign that Moscow is looking to take such a step, but as the US and its NATO allies continue to ramp up military aid, further escalation becomes more likely.

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