Ukraine is on an “irreversible” path to NATO membership, NATO’s 32 member states confirmed in a joint statement on Wednesday, the second day of their summit in Washington.
The allies have been negotiating for months about what language to include in the joint statement, but discussions on specific language, including “irreversible,” continued in Washington throughout the first few days of the summit.
The choice of words is intended as a signal of NATO’s determination to support Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia, and as a warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin not to take any action against the alliance.
“This does not make NATO a party to a conflict, but it will help Ukraine preserve its right to defend itself,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said at a news conference after the declaration was released.
The alliance said in a statement that it had taken several steps to take over coordination of aid to Ukraine, a move seen as a way to “anti-Trump” the alliance’s support for Kyiv over concerns that former President Trump could withhold or block aid to Ukraine if he wins the November election.
This includes appointing a three-star general to oversee the coordination and delivery of international security assistance, an effort currently led by the U.S. and NATO, which will also train Ukrainian forces and manage the transfer and repair of military equipment.
Ukraine had not expected to receive a formal invitation to join NATO at this year’s summit because allies recognized that it could not join as long as the alliance was at war and that it still needed to reform its bureaucracy and eradicate corruption to bring the country into line with alliance standards.
“As Ukraine continues its important reforms, we will continue to support it on its irreversible path to NATO membership. The work we are doing together now will enable Ukraine to join without delay when the time is right – this is no longer a question of if, but when,” Stoltenberg said.
Stoltenberg also pointed to the statement’s language about China, warning Beijing that it “cannot enable Europe’s biggest conflict without damaging its own interests and reputation.”
“This is the first time that all NATO allies have stated this so clearly in a written agreement,” the secretary-general continued, “with a focus on China as a key neighbour in Russia’s war effort… Of course, ultimately it will be up to individual allies to make the decision, but I think the message coming out of this summit from NATO is very strong and very clear.”
