Ukraine: Either They Get Into NATO, or They Get Nukes

Also: Elon Musk is suing the lawyers who beat him in court because he says it is easy for lawyers to beat him in court. Yes. This is a real thing.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a joint press conference held following the second-day session of NATO Heads of State and Government Summit at the Lithuanian Exhibition and Congress Centre (LITEXPO) in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 12, 2023. The Group of Seven countries on Wednesday announced the signing of a joint declaration in support of Ukraine in Lithuania's capital Vilnius, where NATO holds a two-day summit. (Photo by Aytac Unal/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

1. Vilnius

There’s a NATO summit today in Vilnius, birthplace of the great Marko Ramius. Important things are happening there, but it’s worth getting down to the foundational choice the West faces with regard to Ukraine.

Because either:

(1) Ukraine is eventually brought into NATO.

Or,

(2) Ukraine will become a nuclear state.

That’s it. That’s the rock-bottom line. The logic chain here is both clear and inexorable.