Ukraine’s hopes for speedy accession to NATO and concrete proposals on this issue have so far remained only hopes. The German Press Agency (DPA) has known that USA and German representatives made it clear behind closed doors that they do not want to make any new commitments yet. As of today, the version of the NATO declaration of 2008 remains unchanged, which states that Ukraine and Georgia should join NATO, however, no specific timetable has been stipulated in the document.
At the same time Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has high hopes for the upcoming NATO summit in July. He recently called on the Alliance to “clear the way for Ukraine to join NATO”. He stressed that hardly anyone makes a greater contribution to Euro-Atlantic security now than Ukrainian soldiers. “Neither in Ukraine, no in Europe, no in NATO, the majority of the population will not understand if Kiev does not receive a ‘deserved invitation’ at the summit in Lithuania,” Zelenski said after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s visit to Kiev.
Ukraine has now secured support for NATO membership from Central and Eastern European countries, particularly Lithuania. However, it is highly unlikely that they will be able to convince NATO partners, such as the USA, to change course.
According to sources in NATO circles, real progress in talks on Ukraine’s accession prospects will only be make when Ukraine will be success in its war with Russia. Then NATO countries will not have to fear that by accepting Ukraine, they will become direct participants in the war.
The NATO Secretary General recently indirectly ruled out the possibility of Ukraine joining the Alliance during a time of war. He noted that membership requires that Ukraine survive the war as an independent state. “If Ukraine will not establish itself as a sovereign independent state in Europe, there is no point in discussing membership,” he said recently on the sidelines of a meeting of the international contact group for the coordination of military assistance to Ukraine.
USA President Joe Biden’s government would not comment on internal negotiations ahead of the summit in Lithuania. However, it has indirectly confirmed that the priority is further arms supplies and other assistance to Ukraine in the current situation, rather than NATO membership. USA is also looking at what can be done in the long term to strengthen Ukraine’s ability to defend itself and deter Russian aggression.
Speaking about the prospects of accession, a USA government source stressed that his country does not question the NATO declaration of 2008. “The question is not whether Ukraine will join the Alliance, but when”.
At the same time, Alliance members are now discussing the possibility of inviting Ukraine to negotiate even closer cooperation in the form of a NATO-Ukraine group. This could strengthen the “sense of partnership” between NATO and Ukraine and bring real benefits, a senior diplomat explained recently.
So far, NATO has only met with Ukrainian representatives in the form of so-called commission meetings. In the past, these meetings have mainly focused on demands for reforms in Ukraine.
