NATO will unveil “concrete ways” to accelerate Ukraine’s eventual membership in the Atlantic alliance during a summit next week in Washington.
This was stated in an interview with Voice of America by Douglas Jones, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, as reported by Ukrinform.
“The United States and all NATO allies have said that Ukraine’s future is in NATO. At this summit, we will reveal concrete ways in which NATO can help Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression, build the future strength needed to deter Russia, and implement the reforms necessary to make itself a stronger candidate for eventual NATO membership. Together, this is what we describe as a bridge to NATO membership. The assistance we provide at the summit will truly help accelerate Ukraine on its path to NATO membership,” said Jones.
Summit organizers are leaning towards language in a final statement that would declare Ukraine’s path to NATO as “irreversible,” though the official noted that the wording is still being negotiated.
Foreign ministers from 35 non-NATO partner countries are invited to attend the Washington summit. Prominent participants include the foreign ministers of Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
For the third consecutive summit, leaders from all 32 NATO allies will engage in discussions with leaders from NATO’s Indo-Pacific partners: Australia, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand.
“Russia is seeking weapons from the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) as it looks for ways to continue its assault and aggression against Ukraine. The ties are deep. This is why we will have the leaders of NATO’s Indo-Pacific partners at the summit: to discuss how we can learn from each other and collaborate in addressing these shared security challenges,” Jones said.
From July 9 to July 11, Washington will host the 75th anniversary NATO Summit.
