Okay. Thank you.
It's not dissimilar to what Stephen Saideman said.
However, the challenge is not related to NATO membership, but to NATO's ability to defend Ukraine. I am referring to the famous security guarantees. The first step is to establish a situation where Russia will no longer be able to attack Ukraine.
In the negotiations, which are still up in the air, there is still a stumbling block on this issue. It was the same issue in March 2022, in Istanbul.
When we talk about security guarantees, what does that mean? It means Ukraine can no longer be attacked by Russia. Russia can no longer attack not because Ukraine will be defended by American soldiers, but because Ukraine will already be equipped by NATO, among others, and by its own industry, as a result of which the consequences of an attack are too perilous for Russia. That is the most difficult step.
Once that is done, I think the issue that will follow—whether Ukraine will be able to join NATO—will become less difficult to resolve.