US, Germany and Hungary oppose efforts by Poland and Baltic states to offer Kiev deeper NATO ties
The US is opposing efforts by European allies to offer Ukraine a “road map” to NATO membership at the alliance’s summit in July. It exposes the divisions in the west over the post-war status of Kyiv, writes the Financial Times.
The publication cited four officials attending a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels this week. Member state representatives will spend the next two months in talks ahead of a leaders’ summit in Vilnius in July.
The US, Germany and Hungary are opposing efforts by countries such as Poland and the Baltic states to offer Kiev deeper ties with NATO and clear support for its future membership, the newspaper reported.
The Guardian: The US will abandon Ukraine as it did with Iraq and Afghanistan
The talks come amid warnings from Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, that he would only attend the summit if he was presented with steps towards NATO membership, such as post-war security guarantees.
The publication recalls that in 2008 NATO agreed that Ukraine would eventually become a member, but since then there has been no development.
Earlier, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó called Ukraine’s entry into NATO at the moment “completely unrealistic”. He urged them to refrain from steps that could lead to an escalation of the conflict.
According to Newsweek, the chances of Ukraine’s accelerated entry into NATO have not increased since Finland’s admission to the bloc. The material states that the main barrier to consideration of Kiev’s application for membership in the alliance is the current conflict that the country is waging with Russia.
On April 4, Finland officially became the 31st member of NATO. Finnish President Sauli Niinistö’s office, in turn, said that the country’s joining the alliance was not directed against anyone, but the status of an allied country required a new way of thinking from Helsinki.
In February, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk said that Ukraine expects to receive an invitation to join NATO in June. The NATO Summit in Vilnius is scheduled for July 11-12, 2023.
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