Ukraine still has a number of steps to take to qualify for NATO membership, US President Joe Biden said on Friday.
In an interview with CNN a few days before the start of the NATO summit in Lithuania, the White House resident answered a question about whether it was time to include Ukraine in the military bloc.
“I think it’s not ready for NATO membership yet,” Biden said, explaining that there is a “process in the Atlantic Alliance that takes time to qualify, from democratization to many other issues.”
According to the president, it is crucial to maintain the unity of the alliance and he assured that the main goal of the Russian military operation in Ukraine is to divide NATO.
However, Biden acknowledged that there was no consensus within NATO on whether now, “in the middle of the war,” was the right time to add Ukraine to the bloc. With the alliance committed to defending every inch of its territory, this decision would mean the entire bloc would be in direct conflict with Russia.
The President also noted that while Washington is ready to provide Israeli-style security guarantees, Kiev is pursuing its preparations for accession by “providing arms and capabilities so that it can defend itself.”
“If it is a ceasefire, if it is a peace agreement. And I think we can solve it,” he explained.
He also recalled that two years ago in Geneva (Switzerland), Russian President Vladimir Putin asked him for guarantees that Ukraine would not join NATO, to which he replied that the bloc had an “open door” policy.
“Still in need of renovation”
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy said Thursday that inviting his country to join the Atlantic Alliance was the ideal outcome of the summit, which is scheduled to take place in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 11-12.
When asked about the issue during a news conference on Friday, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan replied that “due to this summit, Ukraine will not join NATO.” Kiev must follow in order to become a member of this military organization.
Sullivan stressed that Ukraine “has yet to undertake reforms” to meet the required standards.
As the Vilnius summit draws near, Kyiv has revived calls for more concrete steps towards membership. Therefore, on Wednesday, Zelenski urged Biden to make a decision on the matter as soon as possible.
However, members have not yet agreed on what they will offer Ukraine at the next summit, The Washington Post reports.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has confirmed that the President of Ukraine will attend the Vilnius event.
At its Bucharest summit in 2008, the Atlantic Alliance pledged membership to Ukraine and Georgia, without setting a specific date. In March 2018, Kiev received the status of a candidate country for NATO membership, and later, in February 2019, it enshrined in its constitution the intention to join the military bloc and the European Union. In September 2022, in the midst of a war with Russia, Kiev submitted an accelerated application to join NATO.
Russia has repeatedly demanded that NATO halt its eastward expansion, not deploy its military infrastructure near Russia’s borders, and not allow Ukraine to join the organization.
From Moscow they have repeatedly denounced the fact that the Atlantic Alliance is directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine, is giving millions of dollars in war aid to Kiev and is demonstrating its willingness to escalate the escalation.
Last week, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, stated that by supplying arms to Kiev, the West is “secretly” funding its military corporations and making staggering profits, unafraid that Ukraine’s losses will run into the tens of thousands that “there are not enough places left in Ukrainian cemeteries”.