The President of the United States, Joe Biden, is trying to soften Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO, according to the government of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, supported by some partners in the Atlantic Alliance. In an interview broadcast by CNN this Sunday, Biden uses two sets of arguments. On the one hand, compliance with the membership requirements. On the other hand, the possibility of accession, which would in fact mean a kind of declaration of war on Russia. “I don’t think it’s ready to join NATO,” he said.
Biden has stated that for a country to join the Alliance, it must “meet all the requirements, from democratization to a whole host of other issues,” which he did not elaborate on. Admission to NATO requires the unanimous consent of its members, and this situation does not materialize either: “I don’t think there is unanimity on whether Ukraine’s admission to the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a Crisis is expedient or war is not,” Biden stressed.
The President of the United States has highlighted the practical implications of accession. “If we did, for example, then, you know, and I mean it, we are committed to committing ourselves to every inch of territory that is NATO territory. It’s a commitment we’ve all made, no matter what. If the war goes on, then we are all at war. If that were the case, we would be at war with Russia,” he said.
The military organization issued a tentative invitation for Ukraine and Georgia to join at the Bucharest summit in 2008, but little had happened since then until the Russian invasion. It has now been agreed to expand diplomatic relations with Ukraine and transform the NATO-Ukraine Commission into a NATO-Ukraine Council with more representative powers, which will allow the Kiev government to cooperate with allies on an equal footing on many issues.
In the field of defense, the United States currently advocates the provision of military support and assistance, but without assuming the mutual defense commitment that membership in NATO implies. The idea is that with this support it will defend itself as Israel does. “I think we need to find a rational way for Ukraine to qualify for NATO membership,” he said.
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cluster bombs
As part of the massive multimillion-dollar military aid provided to Ukraine by the United States and its allies, the most recent and controversial chapter was the decision to surrender hundreds of thousands of the harmful cluster bombs, which are particularly dangerous to civilians, especially children, even many years after the conflict.
“It was a very difficult decision for me. And by the way, I’ve talked about it with our allies, I’ve talked about it with our friends in the Capitol,” Biden said in the interview, which aired this Sunday but was taped Friday, the same day as the announcement.
“This is a munitions war. And they’re running out of ammo, and we don’t have enough of it,” Biden said. “And what I ended up doing is I followed the recommendation from the Department of Defense not to allow this to happen permanently, but to allow this to happen during this transitional period while we supply the Ukrainians with more weapons, these projectiles.”
“They’re trying to get through those trenches and stop the advance of those tanks. But it wasn’t an easy decision,” Biden said. Most NATO allies are signatories to a convention banning the use of cluster munitions. Many have expressed opposition to the use of these weapons, and some have expressed open opposition to the United States’ surrender to this war. “We’re not signatories to that agreement, but I’ve had a hard time convincing myself of that,” Biden admitted.
“But the main thing is that they either have the weapons to stop the Russians now, to prevent them from stopping the Ukrainian offensive through these areas, or they don’t have the weapons. And I think they need them.”
Biden has also referenced ties with China, a country he sees as a rival superpower trying to oust United States economic and military dominance. However, he has reiterated that he believes a cooperative relationship could exist between the two countries.
“I think there is a way to find a solution and build a working relationship with China that will benefit them and us,” he said. The President of the United States points out that he warned Xi Jinping after China and Russia strengthened ties and unveiled a new relationship. “I told him, ‘It’s not a threat.’ It’s an observation. I told him, “Since Russia entered Ukraine, 600 American companies have pulled out of Russia.” And you told me that your economy depends on investment from Europe and the United States. And be careful. Be careful.” Biden added that Xi had not argued with him, noting that China “didn’t go all-in on Russia.”
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