Two days before the NATO summit in Vilnius, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed hope for the “best possible outcome” in terms of his country’s membership of NATO. He had agreed with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda “to work together to achieve the best possible result for Ukraine”, Zelenskyy said on Sunday. US President Joe Biden called for a “reasonable path for Ukraine” to join NATO.
After meeting with Duda in Lutsk, in western Ukraine, Zelenskyy said he did not expect Ukraine to join NATO before the end of the war. However, he hopes the summit will send a “clear signal” of intention to include Ukraine in the military alliance. Polish President Duda urged NATO partners to give Ukraine “security guarantees” at their summit. At the meeting, Zelenskyy and Duda commemorated the Volhynia massacre 80 years ago.
Biden, for his part, told CNN television that he hopes the leaders of the military alliance “make a reasonable path for Ukraine to qualify as a member of NATO”. In addition, there are “other requirements that must be met, including democratization”.
He does not believe there is “unanimity” among NATO countries on whether or not Ukraine “should be accepted into the NATO family now, in the midst of war,” the US president said. According to Biden, if Ukraine were admitted now, it would mean a “war with Russia” because of NATO’s commitment to collective defense.
Until now, Ukraine has emphatically demanded to become a member of the defense alliance. In the West, however, there are concerns about possible escalation with Moscow. Kiev’s membership of NATO would mean that Ukraine would fall under the NATO Article 5 alliance case. This provides for a collective response in the event of an “armed attack” on one or more member states.