NATO member states have stated that Ukraine can join the military alliance “when allies agree and conditions are met,” following President Volodymyr Zelensky’s criticism of the delay in Ukraine’s accession.
While acknowledging the need for a swifter process, NATO’s communique did not provide a specific timeframe.
President Zelensky expressed his frustration, describing the delay as “absurd” and noting the apparent lack of readiness to invite Ukraine to join NATO or become a member. He is currently in Vilnius, Lithuania, where the summit is taking place.
Although Kyiv recognizes that it cannot join NATO while engaged in a conflict with Russia, it remains eager to join as soon as possible once the fighting comes to an end.
In their first working session at the #NATOSummit, Allies took decisions to bring Ukraine closer to NATO, and reinforce the Alliance’s collective deterrence and defence
— NATO (@NATO) July 11, 2023
During a briefing, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that allies had reaffirmed Ukraine’s future NATO membership and had agreed to forgo the need for a formal membership action plan in the process.
“This will change Ukraine’s membership path from a two-step process to a one-step process,” he said.
But Mr Zelensky tweeted that the lack of an agreed timeframe meant his country’s eventual membership could become a bargaining chip.
“A window of opportunity is being left to bargain Ukraine’s membership in Nato in negotiations with Russia. Uncertainty is weakness,” he said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s comments come in the midst of disagreement among NATO members regarding Ukraine’s membership in the alliance. Some members express concerns that granting Ukraine near-automatic membership could incentivize Russia to further escalate and prolong the conflict that resulted from its invasion of Ukraine.
NATO’s communique acknowledged Ukraine’s increasing interoperability and political integration with the alliance, as well as the progress it has made in implementing reforms. Member states pledged their support for continued reforms in Ukraine.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is scheduled to meet with President Zelensky at the inaugural meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council on Wednesday.
During the summit, a series of military packages were announced. A coalition of 11 nations will commence training Ukrainian pilots to operate F-16 fighter jets at a center to be established in Romania starting in August.
Meanwhile, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was quoted by Russian news agencies as warning that Moscow would be compelled to use “similar” weapons if the United States supplied controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine. Cluster munitions release bomblets over a wide area and are banned by over 100 countries due to their impact on civilians. Shoigu stated that while Russia possesses similar cluster weapons, they have refrained from using them thus far.
Human rights groups have reported the use of cluster munitions by both Russia and Ukraine during the 17-month-long conflict following Russia’s invasion in February last year.