The US and key allies are discussing what commitments to make regarding Ukraine’s accession to NATO at an upcoming summit
The United States and several key allies, including the United Kingdom, are actively discussing the terms of Ukraine’s NATO membership at the alliance’s upcoming 75th anniversary summit in Washington. At the same time, the US faces criticism from many European countries for not wanting to go as far as some would like. Especially those who are near the border with Russia.
U.S. and German officials have proposed that the alliance pledge at a summit next month that Ukraine has a “road” to NATO membership, not an “irreversible path,” as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in April. Several sources familiar with the discussions told CNN.
The alliance’s final formulations regarding Ukraine during the July summit in Washington are critical. It will be carefully debated and scrutinized by allies in the coming days, as it outlines to the world – particularly Russia – what Ukraine’s NATO goals are.
“At the (Washington) summit, we will take concrete steps to bring Ukraine closer to NATO and ensure that there is a bridge to membership, a bridge that will be strong and well-lit.” – said US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken at a meeting with NATO.
A senior US official said the Biden administration did not believe the word “irreversible” would support the entire alliance, pointing to Hungary in particular as a likely position. The official said the U.S. believed it was close to reaching a resolution with all allies on the language, but declined to preempt the decision.
Some NATO members are also reluctant to use the word because Ukraine has yet to implement all the necessary democratic and anti-corruption reforms required for membership, a separate US official said.
With the summit roughly a month away, the topic remains a central point of tension in the current talks.
“Most Central European countries are disappointed by the ambiguity and delay of the Biden administration”, when it comes to outlining a concrete path for Ukraine, a Central European diplomat told CNN.
A second European official, whose country is more aggressive about Ukraine’s membership than the U.S., said European allies have lobbied the White House directly to make Ukraine’s path as clear as possible:
“We instinctively feel that a new path should be paved. Attention should be paid to fast-tracking [Ukraine’s membership].”
It will be recalled that in April Stoltenberg told the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv that “the work we are doing now puts you on an irreversible path to NATO membership, so that when the time is right, Ukraine can become a member of NATO immediately.”
Still, there is general recognition that NATO’s stance outside the summit should have changed from last year’s meeting in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, when the allies said “Ukraine’s future is in NATO” but did not offer a time frame. At the time, alliance members announced they would drop the requirement for a Membership Action Plan for Ukraine, making it easier for the country to join the alliance, but declined to say how long that might take.
