Matt Gaetz suggested Monday that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization offer membership to Russia—the country it describes as “the most significant and direct threat to allies’ security.”
Gaetz, hours after President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European allies to work toward a peace deal, said on his OANN show that Trump would in turn “need to get everything he wants out of Putin regarding the end of hostilities, economic cooperation, and territorial disputes.”
The former Florida congressman and short-lived attorney general nominee acknowledged that the idea may sound bizarre, but cited discussions on the subject in Washington nearly 30 years ago to say there is some basis for it.
“In 1997, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on NATO expansion. President Clinton’s secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, reflected on groundbreaking cooperation between NATO and Russia,” he recalled.
“That fruit didn’t germinate because instead of doubling down on cooperation with Russia, the thinking prevailed that we had to expand NATO and encircle Russia. We learned that an animal backed into a corner can lash out,” Gaetz said. “We chose encirclement over cooperation when people were saying cooperation could be part of our forward-looking path with Russia.”
Gaetz also pointed to the 2006 article, “Why a Democratic Russia Should Join NATO,” co-authored by Michael McFaul, who later became Barack Obama’s ambassador to Russia.
“Again, this reinforces that NATO membership is an earned reward, not an entitlement, but why not give Russia a chance to earn it?” Gaetz suggested.
“NATO membership for Russia isn’t coming tomorrow, but to make peace, everyone needs to give up something and get something,” he concluded.
“Everyone needs to feel safer in peace than at war. Making war is easy. All you have to do is attack. Making peace is hard, but at least the Trump administration is making progress. We believe that progress could and ultimately should lead to NATO expansion to Russia if everyone behaves.”
After thinking the issue over some more, Gaetz stuck to his argument Tuesday, asking on X: “Where am I wrong?”
Trump and Putin held a summit last Friday to work toward an end to the war in Ukraine, but what progress was made wasn’t clearly defined by either leader.
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