2023-06-17 19:44:34
U.S. President Joe Biden said today that the United States will not make special arrangements for Ukraine to join the NATO military alliance despite Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“They (Ukraine) have to meet the same standards, so we’re not going to make it easier,” Biden told reporters near Washington, Agence France-Presse reported.
NATO leaders are scheduled to hold a summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius next month.
Nato leaders intend to hold their first NATO-Ukraine Council meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Lithuania, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in Brussels yesterday.
Stoltenberg noted that the meeting would give Kiev a more equal position at the negotiating table to “consult and make decisions on security issues”.
He also said that while NATO would strengthen political ties with Ukraine at the summit, Kiev’s membership would not be discussed.
“We will not discuss at the Vilnius summit the question of inviting Ukraine, but how to bring Ukraine closer to NATO,” he stressed.
“I am confident that we will find an appropriate solution and consensus.”
NATO’s Eastern European members have been pushing for a more refined road map for Ukraine’s membership, but key allies such as the United States and Germany have been reluctant to move beyond the vague promise in 2014 that Kiev would one day join.
However, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said yesterday that some membership requirements may be relaxed if Ukraine is eventually ready to join. (Translator: Shi Shi) 1020618
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