Ukraine Will Join NATO, Says Antony Blinken

April 4, 2024

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on NATO’s 75th birthday that NATO intends to “build bridges” towards Ukraine’s membership in the defense alliance.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization member states met Thursday at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels to celebrate their 75th anniversary, including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who joined other nations in seizing the occasion. and discussed Russia’s new invasion and Ukraine’s potential status in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Its members. He emphasized the view, already expressed many times by NATO leaders in recent years, that “Ukraine will become a NATO member.”

German Chancellor Scholz says Ukraine does not meet NATO membership requirementshttps://t.co/jksdEWWCfo

— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) May 22, 2023

What he did not mention, however, were the conditions commonly attached to the statement, namely that Ukraine would join if it was in a suitable state for membership, including not being occupied by a foreign power. .

Mr. Blinken said:

…The support for Ukraine and the resolve of the countries represented here in NATO remains rock solid. We will do everything we can, and our allies will do everything they can, to ensure that Ukraine has what it needs to continue to deal with Russia’s ongoing aggression…Ukraine is a member of NATO. It will be. Our objective at the summit is to help build bridges to its member states and create a clear path for Ukraine to move forward… We see very strong support for Ukraine moving forward in its relationship with NATO. It will be done.

But, as I said, we are equally focused on the immediate future and the need to help Ukraine survive continued aggression from Russia today, tomorrow, and the day after.

This follows several comments by US President Biden and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg last year that “the allies agree that Ukraine will become a NATO member.” The truth is more complicated than that, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz elaborating on the details, saying that Ukraine does not meet the criteria for membership.

In 2023, he said: “It is also clear that we will then have to discuss what security will be provided in a post-war situation. But we are still far from there. Now we must focus on what is to come. … NATO standards include a whole set of conditions that Ukraine is currently unable to meet.

‘NATO Lite’: Finland is latest member state to sign 10-year defense pact with Ukrainehttps://t.co/wFQ4qWSBy5

— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) April 3, 2024

Nevertheless, work appears to be continuing behind closed doors to bring Ukraine into NATO as soon as possible. Today, in response to Mr. Blinken’s comments, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the alliance is working on next steps toward membership. He thanked Mr Blinken for his “powerful and encouraging message” and said in Brussels:

…It is up to the Allies themselves to decide on the form and content of the next stage of Ukraine’s NATO membership. Today, we hear that a decision has been made to task the military wing of the Alliance with designing the next steps. I look forward to seeing the results. Of course, we believe that Ukraine deserves to become a member of NATO and that it should happen sooner or later.

While Ukraine may still be a long way off from officially joining NATO, individual member states have signed a 10-year agreement with Kiev, pledging further funding, support and military aid if Russia invades the country. By doing so, Japan is moving forward with the construction of a “NATO-lite” agreement with Ukraine. again during the contract period. The eighth NATO-lite document was signed with Finland yesterday, following the UK in January, Germany, France, Denmark, Canada, Italy and the Netherlands.