Ukraine needs NATO’s post-war security guarantees: President Duda

NATO should give Ukraine security guarantees after the war is over, Polish president Andrzej Duda said in an interview with the Financial Times daily.

The president said the idea is for Ukrainians to “have a feeling that NATO stands by their side.” Andrzej Duda admitted he realizes that Ukraine understands that joining the Alliance in the short term is not realistic, but added that Kyiv expects some security guarantees.

The daily pointed out that during the security conference in Munich, German and U.S. diplomats were skeptical about such guarantees.

Nato security guarantees would help with the morale of Ukraine's soldiers, Poland's president told the FT https://t.co/6i4EDuutGj

— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) February 20, 2023

Duda also commented on recent decisions made in Berlin regarding the Leopard tanks being provided to Kyiv. Chancellor Scholz urged the allies in Munich to send the machines faster now that they have the green light from Germany.

“I do not really understand what this is about,” Duda said, explaining that first it is necessary to make sure there is no shortage of spare parts for the Leopards, and these can only be supplied by Germany.

The president also stressed that he would like the U.S. President to once again strongly emphasize during his visit to Poland that the U.S. will respect Article Five of the NATO treaty, which reads that “the Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.”