Discussion on ‘invitation’ to Ukraine at NATO summit

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NATO leaders are discussing a pledge to “invite Ukraine to join the alliance if the allies agree and the conditions are met”, people familiar with the discussions told the Financial Times, which is part of Kiev’s push towards alliance membership. indicating progress.

A draft statement being discussed by officials at a summit dominated by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine said Kiev’s “future is in NATO,” without providing a timeline for its accession, the people said. It was emphasized that the text could be changed before consent by all the members.

The issue of how to accept Ukraine’s membership ambitions to defend itself against Russian aggression has exposed divisions between the US-led military coalition in weeks of intense talks, with the US and Germany saying Beware that membership of Kiev is inevitable without conditions.

On the other hand, mainly eastern members, with the support of France and Britain, called for the statement to include the word “invitation” and to acknowledge that inviting Ukraine would be a political decision, not a technical one. join, to show that the coalition was preparing for the entry process into the country.

The draft text also states that the Allies “believe that Ukraine’s path to full Euro-Atlantic integration” has gone “beyond the requirement of the Membership Action Plan”, referring to NATO’s formal accession process.

It also said Kiev has “made substantial progress” on reforms, said the people, all of whom declined to be identified because the discussions are private.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said at the start of the summit in Vilnius, Lithuania on Tuesday that he believes “the Allies will send a clear, united and positive message” towards Ukraine’s membership, adding that he hoped that the statement “will be made public within a few hours”.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Tuesday that NATO allies would send a positive signal by uniting on Ukraine’s path to future membership in the alliance.

NATO agreed in 2008 that Ukraine would “be a member”, but provided no timeline or accession process.

All member states agree that Ukraine cannot join the alliance as long as the war continues, as this would trigger NATO’s Article 5 mutual defense clause and bring all members into conflict.