Summit in Washington - Nato: Ukraine cannot be stopped on its way into the alliance
NATO assures Ukraine that it will not be stopped on its way to joining the alliance. The text for the closing declaration of the NATO summit in Washington refers to the path to membership as "irreversible," according to the German Press Agency, after the negotiations on the document were completed.
At the same time, it is emphasized in the text that a formal invitation to join can only be spoken at a time when all allies agree and all entry conditions are met. This includes reforms in the areas of democracy and economy as well as security.
Membership perspective remains a contentious issue
The text is a compromise that reflects the different positions within the alliance regarding Ukraine's NATO membership process. The NATO perspective for Ukraine has been a contentious issue within the alliance for a long time. Countries such as Germany and the United States oppose issuing a formal invitation in the current situation due to concerns that such a step could lead to further escalation of the Ukraine conflict.
On the other hand, there are numerous other allies who argue that Russia should be clearly and unequivocally shown that it cannot prevent Ukraine's NATO membership. In this logic, the hope is that an invitation to Ukraine in NATO could even lead to a faster end to the war.
The German-American position is particularly problematic for Ukraine because it could be an argument against negotiations for Moscow. One of Putin's declared war goals from the Kremlin is the prevention of a NATO membership for the neighboring state.
A fundamental agreement on Ukraine's accession had been reached by the NATO states back in 2008. At a summit meeting in Bucharest, it was agreed that Ukraine would become a member of NATO - but without any timeline.
Minimum €40 billion military aid pledged
In the text for the closing declaration, Ukraine is also assured that it will receive military aid worth at least €40 billion within the next year. This is the amount that has also been mobilized in previous years.
The promise falls short of what the outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg initially demanded. Stoltenberg wanted a multi-year pledge to show Putin that he cannot rely on waning engagement from the West. The United States, among others, did not want to make long-term commitments.
The summit declaration is expected to be made public after the working session of the heads of state and government on Wednesday evening in German time. A meeting of the so-called NATO-Ukraine Council with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is planned for Thursday to conclude the summit.
NATO website for the summit
- Vladimir Putin strongly opposes Ukraine's potential NATO membership, as stated in one of his Kremlin declared war goals.
- The text of the NATO summit closing declaration in Washington, as reported by the German Press Agency, affirms Ukraine's path to membership as "irreversible."
- Germany and the United States are among the alliance members that oppose issuing a formal invitation to Ukraine due to concerns about escalating the Ukraine conflict.
- Russia sees a NATO membership for Ukraine as a threat and has argued against it, as evidenced by the agreement reached at the 2008 Bucharest summit that Ukraine would become a NATO member, but without a specific timeline.
- The NATO summit in Washington agreed to provide Ukraine with at least €40 billion in military aid within the next year, falling short of the initial demand for a multi-year pledge by outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
- The NATO-Ukraine Council, which includes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, is scheduled to meet on Thursday to conclude the NATO summit.
- The USA, along with other allies, refused to make long-term military aid commitments, contrary to Stoltenberg's desire to show Putin that Russia cannot rely on waning engagement from the West.
