US determines terms for Ukrainian NATO membership
Date
12/21/2024 2:22:01 AM
(MENAFN) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stated that Ukraine can only hope to join NATO if it successfully reforms its military and strengthens its Democratic institutions.
Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on Wednesday, Blinken dismissed claims that the US, Germany, or other NATO allies are blocking Ukraine's accession. Although Ukraine has long aspired to NATO membership, it formally applied in the autumn of 2022 following referendums in four of its regions that saw overwhelming support for joining Russia.
Blinken emphasized that NATO has already set Ukraine on the path to membership and taken concrete steps to help the country, but he did not specify a timeline for full accession. "For the first time in NATO’s history, we established a dedicated command to assist Ukraine in making the necessary reforms, such as improving its military institutions and reinforcing its democratic structures," he said.
Blinken acknowledged that it would be "extremely difficult for Russia" to agree to a peace deal that does not explicitly rule out Ukraine's potential NATO membership. However, he suggested that Ukraine might receive "alternative guarantees or commitments" similar to NATO's Article 5, which stipulates collective defense for all member states.
In October, Politico reported that some NATO members, including the US and Germany, opposed President Zelensky’s call for immediate NATO membership for Ukraine, fearing it would lead to direct confrontation with Russia. While NATO has publicly ruled out full membership for Ukraine during its ongoing conflict with Russia, some Western officials have proposed "partial membership," a notion rejected by Zelensky, who argues that it would imply acceptance of Ukraine's territorial losses to Russia.
Russia has consistently opposed NATO's expansion towards its borders, viewing it as a significant security threat. Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that Ukraine's desire to join NATO is one of the central reasons for the ongoing conflict, with Russia's goals being Ukrainian neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification.
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