Chair of the Ukraine-NATO Interparliamentary Council, Canadian Senator Raynell Andreychuk, told the Kyiv Post that NATO allies need to show greater unity and resolve in the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine.
“We shouldn’t allow (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to play divide and rule among NATO members,” she said, giving the example of Greece, which recently tried to oppose extending sanctions against Russia. “If President Putin perceives cracks, he will take full advantage.”
She believes that commitment to economic sanctions is the best way for NATO members to challenge Putin over Ukraine.
“They’re really working,” she said. “Unlike in the Soviet Union, Russia is no longer a closed shop, rich Russians are investing in the West and are sending their kids to school in the West. Sanctions can have a real impact.”
Andreychuk is in Kyiv for a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Interparliamentary Council ahead of the NATO summit in Warsaw next month.
This meeting brings together almost 100 representatives from parliaments across NATO’s 28 members, as well as members of the Ukrainian parliament and observers from other countries aspiring to NATO membership.
Historically, the influence of such parliamentary groupings has been limited, but after providing valuable insights on Afghanistan, NATO has started to listen to what they have to say.
Together with her Ukrainian co-chair, Verkhovna Rada speaker Andriy Parubiy, Andreychuk issued a statement expressing “strong support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity” and “condemnation of Russia’s violation of international law and its aggressive policy.”
Andreychuk’s strong tone on Russia has not gone unnoticed in the Kremlin, which slapped her with a travel ban in 2014. Although some people believe this to be a “badge of honor,” Andreychuk doesn’t agree.
“It’s sad,” she said. “I have a great respect for Russia and its people and I am very concerned for them.”
The Russian annexation of Crimea and its meddling in eastern Ukraine are major concerns for NATO, but Andreychuk is keen that they do not distract from the needs of political reform in Ukraine.
“Obviously the twin challenges of reform and Russia are linked, but Russia can not be used as an excuse to delay reform,” she said.
Although reform will take time, Andreychuk is sanguine. She believes the young generation will no longer stand for business as usual.
“Maidan was not an accident,” she said. “Ukrainians, especially young Ukrainians, stood up and said ‘we are responsible for our democracy’.”
Although full NATO membership remains some way off, Ukraine continues to align itself more closely with the alliance. It is now passing reforms to ensure its military is compatible with NATO member states by 2020.
Ultimately, the decision on NATO membership will rest with the Ukrainian people.
“After the collapse of the Soviet Union, they (the Ukrainian people) still saw NATO as the ‘other side’, the counterpart to the Warsaw Pact,” Andreychuk said. “Now, in the aftermath of Crimea, Ukrainians are beginning to ask themselves, ‘how do we defend ourselves?’”
It is a question that will continue to dominate Ukrainian politics over the coming decade.
