"Give Russia guarantees Ukraine won't join NATO"

Source: Beta

WARSAW -- Former U.S. national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski has called for the arming of Ukraine "with defensive weapons."

(Beta/AP, file)

He at the same time warned that Russia must be given guarantees that "a free, democratic Ukraine" will not seek to join NATO.
"We must guarantee to the Russians that a free, democratic, European Ukraine would not seek to join NATO, which Russia sees as a threat, but will act like Finland which is a free, independent European country, but is not a member of NATO," Brzezinski told the Polish broadcaster TVN24.

Another element of a possible solution to the conflict in Ukraine, according to him, is to supply that country with "defensive weapons."

"We have to be able to deliver defensive weapons Ukraine, because if we do not send such weapons, all that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has to do to triumph is to cause a further escalation of the conflict," said Brzezinski.