In his interview with The Economist, the retired diplomat acknowledged he had changed his mind, saying that he's 'in the weird position that people say, 'He's changed his mind, now he's in favor of full membership of Ukraine in NATO.'' 'The idea of a neutral Ukraine under these conditions is no longer meaningful.' 'Before this war, I was opposed to membership of Ukraine in NATO because I feared that it would start exactly the process that we have seen now,' Kissinger said at the forum. He softened that stance somewhat by the time he spoke at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, in January. Kissinger's comments to The Economist represent a course reversal compared to a statement he made last year.ĭuring a September discussion with the Council on Foreign Relations, he said he 'thought it was not a wise American policy to attempt to include Ukraine into NATO.' Newsweek reached out to Kissinger via email for comment. The outcome should be one in which Ukraine remains protected by Europe and doesn't become a solitary state just looking out for itself.'

Assuming the outcome is the probable outcome, that would be somewhere along the line of the status quo ante that existed. He continued, 'We shouldn't end in the wrong way. And therefore, we'll arm the hell out of them and give them the most advanced weapons.' And how can that possibly work?' 'Because the Europeans are saying: 'We don't want them in NATO, because they're too risky. 'What the Europeans are now saying is, in my view, madly dangerous,' Kissinger told The Economist. Last month, he went so far as to say that Ukraine's 'rightful place' is in the military alliance. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has long supported Kyiv's admittance, though the country joining while still at war seems unlikely. Putin also said during a press conference shortly before the war began that Ukraine joining NATO might increase the chances of a Russia-NATO conflict that could turn nuclear. Kissinger said he now supports Ukraine joining NATO after previously saying he didn't think the country should be part of the alliance. Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger speaks during the Department of State 230th Anniversary Celebration in Washington, D.C., on July 29, 2019.

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