This strategic partnership has of course been rocked by Russia's course of action in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. Both NATO's secretary general and the Supreme Allied Commander Europe say that Russia is no longer a partner but a threat, an opponent. Do you share this assessment?
No, not at all. These are statements that don't contribute to de-escalating the situation, instead they escalate it.
What we're dealing with now is a regionally confined crisis. There are Russian interests on one side, and the interests of NATO's member states on the other.
NATO as an organization has no interests. This is where the Founding Act says that whenever the safety of both or the security interests of one of the signatory sides is concerned, the partners get together to find a solution to the conflict. NATO hasn't done that so far, just like in 2008, when the conflict between Russia and Georgia developed. NATO didn't formally terminate cooperation, but it terminated or suspended practical programs. That's a mistake! If you create a tool for crisis management, it makes sense to use it when the situation arises.
In Ukraine, Russia has maneuvered itself into a position that is basically a dead-end. But so has the West, because in the end, sanctions lead nowhere. Actually, this could be the last opportunity to find a common solution, but to do so, they would have to get together for talks.
Do you believe it would have been better to have a NATO-Russia Council alongside the summit, or after the summit, so they could talk? There is going to be a NATO-Ukraine Commission, but no NATO-Russia Council.
Yes, that truly is a mistake. But it wouldn't have had much chance at success at such short notice. That would have needed more preparation: first, the foreign ministers would have had to talk, and that could have progressed to the heads of state and government. It really is a pity that NATO has failed so blatantly in this case.
Retired General Harald Kujat (72) served as General Inspector of Germany's Bundeswehr from 2000 to 2002 - the highest-ranking soldier in the German military and a top government advisor. From 2002 to 2005, he was chairman of the NATO Military Committee.
http://www.dw.com/en/ex-general-nato-has-failed-blatantly-in-ukraine/a-17895454