Why Ukraine is still waiting for an invitation to join NATO: explanation from the President of the NATO PA
The President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Jerry Connolly, explained that in order to integrate into NATO, Ukraine needs to restore sovereignty over all its territories, not only those currently controlled by the Ukrainian government. In his interview for Radio Svoboda, Connolly noted that the Alliance should include “all of Ukraine” — including the eastern and southern territories, as well as Crimea.
The congressman also expressed skepticism about the possibility of inviting Ukraine to NATO before the end of the war. He noted that even if US President Joe Biden sympathizes with Ukraine’s aspirations for membership in the Alliance, he will not be able to make such a decision alone, without consulting other NATO members.
“I certainly think that President Biden is sympathetic to Ukraine’s aspirations, including NATO membership. And he would have a positive attitude towards it. But whether he would resort to concrete actions without consulting with other NATO allies — that would be impossible”, — noted Connolly.
According to him, the main priority remains the end of Russian aggression on Ukrainian territories. Connolly stressed that only after the end of hostilities will it be possible to discuss the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO.
This statement coincides with the opinion of the US Ambassador to NATO, Julian Smith, who recently stated that the Alliance does not plan to invite Ukraine to membership in the near future.
At the same time, on October 16, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi presented his victory plan in the Verkhovna Rada, one of the key points of which is to invite Ukraine to NATO “now.” However, Zelenskyi admitted that the issue of membership is “a question of the future, not of the present”, stressing that it is a long process that requires time and stabilization of the situation in the country.
