Senator Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, has issued a strong caution to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in an opinion piece published by The American Conservative on Saturday.
“If Ukraine is in NATO, the United States should be out, plain and simple. We must draw a redline with NATO: You can have Ukraine or the United States,” Lee wrote.
The senator’s remarks came after recent statements by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, coinciding with the two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Ukraine is now nearer to NATO than ever before. We are assisting in improving your armed forces’ compatibility with our allies. We are opening a new Joint Center for Analysis, Training and Education in Poland together. We’re also strengthening our political relationship through the NATO-Ukraine Council, where we consult and make decisions together,” Stoltenberg said. “Ukraine’s enlistment in NATO isn’t a question of if, but rather when.”
Recent advancements by Russia in eastern Ukraine, coupled with Kyiv’s struggles on the battlefield due to ammunition shortages and slowed military aid, have intensified concerns.
Ukrainian military aid from the U.S. remains stalled in Congress, where President Joe Biden’s $60 billion aid package has faced delays amid partisan disputes.
During his State of the Union address, Biden reaffirmed the White House’s unwavering support for Ukraine and urged Republican lawmakers to approve additional assistance to Kyiv.
Lee, a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, fears that Ukraine’s NATO membership could “trigger the next world war.”
“[Vladimir] Putin continues to warn us that Ukraine in NATO could be the match that sparks WWIII. As a constitutional realist, it seems to me that when the enemy gives us a clear warning, we should act with a degree of prudence, not double down without a second thought simply to anger the bad guy,” Lee wrote on Saturday. “If we are serious about preserving U.S. hegemony, at no point can our nation be forced by a dependent Europe to accept the risk of nuclear escalation.”
Newsweek reached out to Lee and NATO for comments. This story will be updated with any provided statements.
Several European countries have expressed concerns that Russia’s conflict with Ukraine could escalate into a broader conflict with NATO. The alliance has bolstered its defense systems along its eastern border, conducting trainings for over 90,000 troops from all member states in countries bordering Russia.
Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have urged NATO to prepare for Russia’s potential next offensive in the region.
Lee argued in his opinion piece that Russia’s invasion stemmed largely from the potential NATO expansion into Ukraine and Georgia, which he referred to as “a redline that Putin drew as far back as 2008.”
“Rather than taking such warnings seriously, the U.S. and European capitals continued to beat the drum of expansion by touting the foolish desires of the ‘rules-based international order’ above realism. Just because we say it does not make it so in the eyes of the Kremlin,” Lee wrote.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin has accused the West of prolonging the war in Ukraine by strengthening Kyiv’s military capabilities. Last month, it warned that NATO would be crossing a line if allied members sent troops to fight in Ukraine. Although no NATO nation has indicated plans to do so, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that “nothing should be excluded” in efforts to “prevent Russia from winning this war.”
