Ukraine may never feel safe any more – expert

After the Russian military aggression against Georgia, Ukraine will never feel safe any more.

Mykhaylo Samus, deputy chief of Defense Express Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament, said this in an exclusive comment to UNIAN.

“Ukraine must give up all illusions about the efficiency of the current security system. We have always believed there is no direct military threat to Ukraine. As if our state is surrounded by friendly and peaceful neighbors allegedly having no aggressive interests concerning Ukraine”, M.Samus said.

In the opinion of the expert, “if Russia made a military and aggressive step against Georgia, Ukraine must not believe any more that it is safe: nobody can guarantee that Russia would not like to solve its questions in such a way, for instance, in Crimea”.

M.Samus stressed that Ukraine must as early as today realize that its neutral status was actually wiped out with developments around the Georgian-Ossetian, Georgian-Abkhazian conflicts. “We must clearly decide: whether we’re with Russia or with NATO. Any neutrality will mean a state of permanent danger for Ukraine. And its future will depend on desires, interests, and needs of Russia”, he said.