More than ever, Ukraine is eager to join NATO. Backed by several Eastern European governments, Kiev is pressing its allies to agree to give the nation a preferential and expedited route of access. And to do it quickly. While there is no question that he can join the club as long as the country is at war, Volodymyr Zelensky wants firm guarantees that the door will open immediately as soon as the conflict is over.
Today and tomorrow, in Oslo, Norway, the Alliance’s foreign ministers met for an informal meeting with Thirty-One, where the issue will be on the agenda, to try to reduce differences on the issue and find an acceptable compromise. all. Ukraine made a formal request for quick turnout in September, but access is currently blocked by two giants, the United States and Germany, and is concerned about the possible ramifications of yes. The desire to prevent Kiev from joining the Alliance was exactly one of the reasons Vladimir Putin put forward to justify what the Russian president has always called a “special operation”. “The door is open, but now is not the time to decide,” said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius some time ago.
Last week, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reiterated that Ukraine cannot join the alliance as long as the war against Russia continues. “Being a member in the middle of a war is not the time of the day,” he said. “The question is what happens when the war is over,” he added. “All NATO allies agreed that Ukraine would become a member,” Stoltenberg personally visited Kiev last month. The Secretary-General underlined that “Ukraine needs security” and “if no one can say when and how this war will end, what we do know is that when the war is over we need to make sure that history does not repeat itself”.
In 2008 Ukraine signed a vague commitment to future membership in NATO, but now the country seeks certainties and a definitive roadmap. And it seeks approval at the NATO Summit, scheduled for 11 and 12 July in Vilnius, Lithuania. “Vilnius should give a clear signal that Ukraine is politically invited to join NATO,” said Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Olha Stefanishyna, who attended the Globesec forum in Bratislava, where defense and geopolitical challenges were discussed. “We need a unified commitment from all member states. For me, as deputy prime minister, it’s really important that the next day in Vilnius, there are people who will sit at headquarters and work on methods of participation,” Stefanishyna told the conference in Slovakia to meet her European colleagues and those who use it to lobby.
“It would be very sad if someone could read the outcome of the Vilnius summit as a victory for Russia, which has eliminated the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO one day,” Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said on Friday. Pushing for approval in Kiev. “For a lasting peace, we will need an independent, free and liberated Ukraine as part of the NATO alliance,” Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said after meeting with Stoltenberg last week. said. “The time has come for the Alliance to stop making excuses and start the process that will lead to the eventual accession of Ukraine,” Kiev Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote in an article in Foreign Affairs in April. “We need a clear, written statement from Allies that outlines a path of engagement.”
There are several concessions on the Allied table at the moment. Ideas put forward to meet Kiev’s aspirations range from the publication of a written declaration on Ukraine’s accession at the July summit to the creation of a new Ukraine-NATO council. Allies are also ready to expand an aid package that will help the country’s forces abandon Soviet-era doctrine, equipment and standards and fully align themselves with Western defense standards. But this is not enough for Ukraine.
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Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
