Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on Wednesday said she would accept any conditions to salvage a pro-West coalition amid fears the pro-Russian opposition would seize control.
I think Ukraine must eventually join NATO to erase the vacuum that exists between Russia and NATO. Georgia shows, I believe, that gray areas between the West and the Rest are flash points for conflict.
Unfortunately, that pro-Russian element is why we can't accept Ukraine into NATO now. We can't have a NATO country at risk of a major pro-Russian revolt. Start Ukraine on the path with a road map, by all means. But that map must include steps that marginalize and reduce the pro-Russian separatists.
As I noted, Russia may have done us a favor in Georgia by formally stripping away Georgia's pro-Russian regions. This clears the decks for NATO membership. We shouldn't wish this type of solution on Ukraine, but we must deal with the facts on the ground.
Remember, when you resolve to take Vienna, you must first start to take Vienna.
