A “reform path” for Kiev will likely be drawn up in some unspecified time in the future, Nationwide Safety Advisor Jake Sullivan has mentioned
Permitting Ukraine to affix NATO in the intervening time would lead the US-led army bloc “right into a conflict with Russia,” White Home Nationwide Safety Advisor Jake Sullivan has mentioned.
A “reform path for Ukraine” to grow to be a NATO member will likely be drawn up however “I can’t put a timetable on it,” Sullivan advised reporters on Tuesday on the bloc’s summit within the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius.
“At the moment, we’re not going to outline how the conflict [between Ukraine and Russia ends], we’re not going to put down the definition for that,” Sullivan acknowledged. He added that “there have been historic circumstances the place you’ve seen alternative ways of taking a look at that query.”
Sullivan additionally spoke in regards to the agenda for talks between US President Joe Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart, Vladimir Zelensky, that are scheduled to happen through the occasion in Vilnius. The 2 leaders will focus on “how the US alongside our… companions are ready to make long-term commitments to assist Ukraine defend itself now and to discourage future aggression,” he mentioned.
Throughout an interview with CNN on Sunday, Biden argued it was “untimely” to discuss NATO membership for Ukraine, including that Kiev wants to hold out extra reforms and obtain “democratization” earlier than it will possibly grow to be a part of the bloc.
On Tuesday, NATO Secretary Normal Jens Stoltenberg mentioned Ukraine won’t be given a transparent roadmap to affix the bloc on the summit within the Lithuanian capital. As a substitute, he introduced that members may solely “take away the requirement for a Membership Motion Plan (MAP),” which in idea would pace up Ukraine’s accession by making it a single-step course of as a substitute of a two-step one.
Zeleksky later wrote on Telegram that his authorities had acquired “alerts” that “there’s no timeline for each the invitation [or for] Ukraine’s membership” within the textual content of the ultimate assertion of the NATO summit, which is at present being drafted.
The Ukrainian chief referred to as the state of affairs “absurd,” claiming that NATO’s “indecisiveness” was an indication of the bloc’s “weak point.”
The feedback reportedly didn’t go unnoticed by NATO, with an unnamed senior diplomat from Central Europe telling Politico that Zelensky “goes too far.” “I feel that this isn’t a considerate and honest strategy [from] the Ukrainian chief,” he added.
One other particular person conversant in the present draft of the NATO assertion advised Politico that the bloc had despatched a robust sign to Ukraine that the language within the communique was virtually ultimate, and that Zelensky’s authorities must settle for it.
Moscow, which views NATO as hostile and vigorously opposes its eastward growth, highlighted Kiev’s push to affix the alliance among the many major causes for launching its army operation towards Ukraine in February 2022.
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