"NATO Urged to Accept Ukraine into Alliance, Excluding Occupied Territories"

Former NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, has proposed that Ukraine be invited to join NATO, but with Article 5 of the Washington Treaty not applying to the territories occupied by Russia. Rasmussen argues that excluding the occupied territories from the treaty's coverage would reduce the risk of conflict between Russia and NATO. He believes that Ukraine's NATO membership is necessary to counter Russia's aggression and that the Ukrainian army's battle-hardened experience could serve as an asset and example for other European states.