THE former Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Anders Vo Rasmussensupported Ukraine’s bid to join the Western military alliance.

“Neither if, nor but: Ukraine must join NATO and the EU,” Mr. Rasmussen emphasized yesterday Monday at an event he organized in Copenhagen.

“Ukraine has developed considerable military capabilities and would strengthen NATO as a member,” the Dane said.

He presented a “seven-point plan for Ukraine to win the war and secure a lasting peace” drawn up by the so-called Alliance of Democracies, an institution he created.

“The war has shown that there will always be instability and the threat of Russian attack as long as Ukraine is outside the Euro-Atlantic structures,” according to the text, which also assures that the accession process will accelerate reforms and strengthen the country’s democratic institutions.

As the war in Ukraine heads into fifteen months, there is no clear timetable for the country’s eventual NATO membership — a red line for Moscow. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recently implicitly but clearly ruled out its entry into the alliance while the war is ongoing.

Since last summer, Ukraine has officially been a candidate country for EU membership. However, the 27 have not yet decided unanimously to start accession negotiations. Kyiv hopes the process will begin this year.