WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden stated on Saturday that the United States would not make special arrangements for Ukraine to join the NATO military alliance, despite Russia’s invasion.
Speaking to reporters near Washington, Biden emphasized that Ukraine must meet the same standards as other NATO members and that the process will not be made easy.
The comments come ahead of a NATO summit scheduled to take place in Lithuania next month. As a symbolic step, alliance leaders plan to hold the first session of a NATO-Ukraine Council with President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius. This will allow Kyiv to have an equal seat at the table for consultations and decision-making on security issues, according to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
Ukraine’s NATO Membership
However, Stoltenberg clarified that the summit would not discuss extending an invitation for NATO membership to Ukraine. The focus will instead be on finding ways to bring Ukraine closer to NATO without immediate membership discussions. While NATO nations in Eastern Europe have advocated for a clearer roadmap for Ukraine’s membership, key allies such as the United States and Germany have been hesitant to go beyond a general commitment made in 2014.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius suggested on Friday that certain membership requirements could be eased if Ukraine demonstrated readiness to join in the future. Nonetheless, concerns persist within NATO that granting Ukraine membership could escalate tensions with Russia and potentially lead to direct confrontation.
In related news, Finland became NATO’s 31st member in April, while Sweden’s application has been stalled by Turkey, which accuses Sweden of harboring Kurdish militants it considers terrorists.
President Biden also commented on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s assertion that Moscow had deployed nuclear arms in Belarus, describing it as “totally irresponsible.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken had previously labeled Belarus’ acceptance of the weapons as “provocative.”
