2023-06-10 13:30:53
The U.S. ambassador to NATO, Julianne Smith, told POLITICO that the Western allies were unlikely to invite Ukraine during the war, but were still negotiating wording to signal their long-term commitment to the Kiev authorities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pleading with NATO leaders in recent weeks to put his country on a concrete path to membership. He also threatened not to attend the annual summit in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, in July if NATO leaders failed to deliver on their commitments.
However, Ambassador Smith admitted in an interview with POLITICO at NATO headquarters that the allies could not invite Kiev to join at this moment, “I think the allies now agree that when they are engaged in a full-scale war, the possibility of an appropriate invitation is unlikely”.
However, Ambassador Smith insisted that NATO still wants the message from Kiev that they are with war-torn Ukraine and are trying to find a way to show it at the Vilnius summit, “if President Zelensky himself goes there. By coming, we want to show him with action that we care deeply about building a long-term relationship with Ukraine and finding a way to recognize … all that they have achieved. Our support will not fade, and we will not be distracted.”
According to reports, NATO is currently developing a two-part package plan for Ukraine, one part focuses on practical assistance, especially helping the Ukrainian army adopt Western military standards, and the other part is thorny political issues, that is, around Ukraine’s application to join. what wording.
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