NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s recent visit to kyiv demonstrated that these aspirations are within the realm of possibility.
In a meeting with the Ukrainian president, he said that the allies agreed that Ukraine did not need an action plan for membership, and also assured that the Firm support from all alliance states would remain unwavering.
Stoltenberg also noted that this was a conversation between de facto allies, and It’s just a matter of time to Ukraine de jure joins the alliance.
But what does it mean for Ukraine to join NATO?
This is not only a choice of civilization and a guarantee of common defense, but also a significant incentive for the development of the state economy, which is rarely mentioned in this context. While integrating into the institutions of the European Union, the new member states also joined the North Atlantic Alliance, thereby strengthening their own path of democratic development with security guarantees as members of a powerful military bloc.
Researchers note a direct link between the state of external security and the economy. So, looking at the experience of Eastern European countries, we can see a significant increase in foreign direct investment.
For example, in 1999, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary joined NATO. In 1997, when Poland announced its decision to join the alliance, $2.7 billion in foreign direct investment flowed into its economy, $5 billion a year later, and in 1999 (when the country joined NATO) – 8 billion dollars.
The Czech Republic and Hungary show even more impressive figures: in the Czech Republic in 1997 – $4 billion, in 1998 – $9.8 billion, in 1999 – $12.8 billion; in Hungary – in 1997 – 6.2 billion dollars, in 1998 – 10.2 billion dollars, in 1999 – 14.5 billion dollars. This was later the case in other countries joining the alliance.
In Slovenia, one year after the announcement of the decision to join NATO, direct investments increased from 3.6 billion euros in 2002 to 5.1 billion euros in 2003. In Romania, in 2004, when the country joined NATO, foreign direct investment increased by 141%. compared to the previous year.
The same trend can be observed further: even Montenegro, which joined NATO in 2017, has already reported a 67% increase in foreign investment a year later. Similar trends are currently observed in North Macedonia and Finland.
Another important aspect is the change in the image of a country following its membership in NATO. This is particularly visible in the countries of the Balkan Peninsula, which have long been stereotyped as unstable states with a high risk of unpredictable political or economic situations or even military incidents. The assets of these states were traditionally perceived as risky, which did not contribute to the influx of foreign investments and the entry of a number of Western brands into the market. Joining NATO had a significant impact on the image, because joining the Western military bloc is to a certain extent a manifestation of the will of the state, a civilizational choice of the people and a choice to conform to the appropriate political and economic model, to the commercial rules inherent to Western countries.
And of course, a guarantee of the inviolability of borders and reliable military protection, which translates into a stable foreign policy. These factors not only help to increase the investment attractiveness of states, but also significantly accelerate the pace of their economic development.
Ukraine, too, can certainly be more attractive for a foreign investor. According to open data, our state is one of the richest states on the continent in terms of resources: we occupy first place in Europe in terms of uranium ore reserves, second in terms of iron ore reserves , titanium and mercury.
Ukraine also has Europe’s largest coal reserves and the largest manganese ore deposits. And also, surprisingly, the second largest natural gas deposit in Europe, just behind Norway! However, it is important to note that the main regions of Ukrainian gas fields are located in the east of the country and on the Black Sea shelf, that is, the territories where active hostilities are currently taking place. THE material from the Washington Postin particular, mentions it when analyzing the economic potential of Ukraine.
Ukraine is also a major producer of agricultural products and a key exporter of wheat, barley, sunflower oil, corn and rapeseed. According to experts’ estimates, the fertile “choronozem” (black earth) lands of Ukraine can provide food for 600 million people, which, in the conditions of globalization, is an extremely important factor for food security worldwide.
Another very important factor are rare earth metals, which acquire extraordinary value in the context of the development of global technologies.
Currently, China is a leader in their production, however, according to geologists’ datathere are more than a hundred deposits of lithium, zirconium, yttrium, cobalt and other rare earth metals in Ukraine, which are currently not exploited.
Most of them are located in the Ukrainian Shield, which experts consider the largest rare earth metallogenic province in Europe. To say that it is an extremely profitable and attractive asset for investors and the entire Western world is an understatement.
Personally, I firmly believe that Ukraine’s place is within the EU and NATO. This is the path defended by the heroes of the Revolution of Dignity, and it is now enshrined in the Constitution of our country. And when we talk about NATO in the context of security guarantees, it is not only in the military field, but also in the economic field.
It is the guarantee of the security of investments, infrastructure, entrepreneurship and the macro-financial climate. The example of the countries of Eastern and Southern Europe shows how important it is to strengthen membership in the European Union through reliable military protection of the North Atlantic bloc. This motivates even less motivated investors to invest and see more opportunities and potential assets in Ukraine, especially at the stage of post-war reconstruction and recovery. So, in my opinion, this will be a key factor that can ensure the economic growth of our state after the end of the war.
Already today, Ukrainian entrepreneurs sense how important these security guarantees could be, both to increase internal production and to attract foreign partners and international cooperation. I am sure that when our state becomes a full member of the North Atlantic Alliance, this will be a guarantee of a future economic leap, which will allow our companies and businesses to return Ukraine to the indicators of pre-war growth. and surpass them by attracting additional foreign investment.
When it becomes safe and profitable to invest in Ukraine, a number of global players will consider our underground deposits and our human and industrial potential as very valuable assets.
However, for this to happen, it is very important to end the war with Ukraine’s victory, and our future literally depends on it.
It is important that not only in our country, but also in the entire Western world, it is understood how valuable Ukraine is for the global economy.
After all, investments in Ukraine, its industry and economic growth begin precisely with the military aid that our allies provide us today.
The effectiveness of the regular Ramstein-16 meeting, at which about 50 Contact Group countries pledged to allocate more than $33 billion for direct security assistance to our country, adds confidence to Ukraine. Every dollar invested in the Ukrainian armed forces will certainly return a hundredfold to everyone.
Considering the protection of the territorial integrity of the state, its subsoil, its natural resources and its sovereignty, NATO membership actually seems to be only a matter of time. To achieve this, we must make all our efforts today, so that tomorrow we have every chance of creating our own Ukrainian economic miracle.
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