But Merkel conceded that the summit should issue a statement endorsing the aspirations of Georgia and Ukraine and boldly declaring, “These countries will become members of NATO.”51 It was a fudge, and a disastrous one at that. It invited the Russians to ensure that Georgia and Ukraine were never in a fit state to take the next step toward NATO accession. It invited Georgia, Ukraine and their sponsors to force the pace. Ambiguity was a formula for escalation. And both sides responded accordingly.
