NATO Reasserts Desire to Have Ukraine as Member

NATO allies pledged support for Ukraine's future membership and announced €40 billion in aid at a Washington DC summit. The alliance committed to deeper military integration with Ukraine but set no formal timeline for accession.

Speaking of the NATO members, they have supported Ukraine’s commitment to the ‘’irreversible process of joining the Alliance in the future. It was said in Washington DC during NATO’s 75th anniversary where the ongoing fighting in Ukraine was the main focus.

1. A substantial aid package: NATO members pledged €40 billion ($43. 3 billion) for the next year aid.

2. Advanced military support: The US has stated that F-16 fighter aircraft provided by Denmark and the Netherlands will be redeployed to Ukraine, with the deployment scheduled for the summer.

3. Deeper integration: A new NATO body will be created to oversee supply and training of military assistance to the Ukrainian side.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg declared that Ukraine needs support adding that “Support to Ukraine is not charity – it is in our own security interest. ”

These measures were referred to in the alliance’s joint statement as ‘‘a bridge to Ukraine’s membership in NATO’’ but it added that the ‘‘invitation will be issued when conditions are met’’, recognizing Ukraine’s achievements on democratic, economic and security sector reforms.

The summit was attended by the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, who had a meeting with the world leaders including the newly appointed UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Zelensky also talked with the U. S. politicians from both the Republican and Democratic parties to ensure their support for Ukraine’s cause.

Despite agreeing on the Ukrainian issue, some criticized the lack of a timeline for fully integrating the U. S. might let Kyiv down. The meeting took place at the times of political instability in the United States as the presidential elections can influence the further development of NATO’s policies.

During the summit, NATO chiefs urged the member countries to spend more on defence, with US President Joe Biden noting that Russia is already in a ‘war economy’ when it comes to defence spending.

Also Read: Biden says that US will provide air defense support to Ukraine at summit of NATO

Given the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, this NATO summit has also underlined the alliance’s continued support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and its desire to become part of the Euro-Atlantic community.