The New York TimesThe New York Times

If a divided Germany could enter NATO, why not Ukraine?

By Steven Erlanger

26 May 2023 · 5 min read

• West Germany became a NATO member in 1955, despite its division and unhappy role as the border between nuclear armed rivals during the Cold War. • Konrad Adenauer, the first chancellor of West Germany, chose security over territory, and Germans supported him. • NATO's yearly summit in July is discussing what they can offer Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who wants more concrete assurances that his country will join the alliance. • NATO membership could solidify the peace and allow reconstruction, private investment and the return of many refugees.

Curated by informed

Though peace seems distant, the United States and Europe are debating how to guarantee Ukraine’s security once the fighting with Russia stops, even without a total victory by either side. West Germany may provide a model, a precedent for admitting a divided country into NATO.

Despite its division and unhappy role as the border between nuclear armed rivals during the Cold War, West Germany became a NATO member in 1955, benefiting from the alliance’s protection, without ever giving up its commitment to unification, finally realized in 1989.

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