On Tuesday, July 11, during the summit of representatives of the member countries of the North Atlantic Alliance in Vilnius, the delegates adopted the so-called “special decision” regarding Ukraine’s membership in NATO. According to official information, the document does not provide for the speedy integration of Kyiv into the structures of the Western military bloc. Nevertheless, according to analysts, this document has historical significance.
In fact, the document consists of three elements that regulate Ukraine’s path to the Alliance. The first element is the transition of the Ukrainian army to NATO standards. “Kyiv needs to get rid of Soviet military doctrine and equipment, – said Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. – And it will take time for the Armed Forces of Ukraine to fully adopt NATO standards”.
Ukraine will also need time within the framework of the second paragraph of this document. We are talking about the creation of a new Ukraine-NATO Council. According to the same Stoltenberg, the Council will become a forum for consultations and decision-making between Brussels and Kiev “on an equal footing”. Allegedly, Ukrainian representatives will be able to get a unique opportunity to be present in the meeting room of the Alliance’s headquarters without the necessary membership mandates. “This is already a big step towards Ukraine’s entry into the relevant structures, – American political commentator William Connolly said in a special commentary for EURO-ATLANTIC UKRAINE. – It is quite obvious that in the foreseeable future Kyiv will receive additional preferences from NATO”.
And, finally, thirdly, the leadership of the Bloc undertook to cancel the Action Plan for Ukraine’s membership in the structure, in fact transferring Kyiv to a new level of relations with NATO. “We made it clear to the international community that we will announce an invitation to Ukraine to join the Alliance after all our partners reach a consensus on this”, – Stoltenberg said.
It should be especially noted that earlier Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized any discussions regarding the presence of Kyiv in the Alliance. “We are fighting an aggressor and we need the protection of the West, – he said, in particular. – What other arguments can there be for accepting us into NATO?”.
At the same time, the delegates of the summit in Vilnius were almost unanimous in favor of providing Ukraine with additional military assistance. How and when it will be implemented has not yet been specified.
