In addition to the promised stronger air defenses and faster delivery of F-16 fighter jets, the final document of the current NATO summit contains another blow that the Kremlin must absorb. The document speaks of an “irreversible path” regarding Ukraine’s membership in the military alliance.
Diplomats said Wednesday that allies now see Ukraine on an “irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership.” Finnish President Alexander Stubb welcomed the agreement on the new text, which had been campaigned for in particular by Eastern Europeans in the alliance.
However, the member states did not want to issue an official invitation to join yet. The main reason is the fear of the US and Germany for a confrontation with Russia. According to the agreed text, the allies confirm that they want to invite Kiev to join “if the allies agree and the conditions are met.” The NATO countries had already agreed on this formula a year ago during their summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
The US is one of the most cautious allies
The text is a compromise that reflects the different positions within the alliance on the NATO accession process. The NATO perspective for Ukraine has long been a controversial issue within the alliance. Countries such as the US refuse to make a formal invitation to join in the current situation. On the other hand, there are numerous other allies who argue that Russia must be clearly shown that it will not be able to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO. In this logic, there is hope that inviting Ukraine to NATO could even lead to a quicker end to the war.
The summit statement is scheduled to be published Wednesday evening after the working session of heads of state and government. At the end of the summit, a meeting of the so-called NATO-Ukraine Council with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled for next Thursday.
Source: Krone
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