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NATO leaders said Tuesday that they would allow Ukraine to join the alliance “when allies agree and conditions are met” – a pronouncement that came just hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy blasted the organization’s failure to set a timetable for his country as “absurd.”
Instead, alliance leaders decided to remove obstacles on Ukraine’s membership path so that it can join more quickly once the war with Russia is over.
“We reaffirmed Ukraine will become a member of NATO and agreed to remove the requirement for a membership action plan,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters, referring to a key step in the process that involves advice and assistance for countries seeking to join.
“This will change Ukraine’s membership path from a two-step path to a one-step path,” Stoltenberg said.
Although many NATO members have funneled arms and ammunition to Zelenskiy’s forces, there is no consensus among the 31 allies for admitting Ukraine into NATO’s ranks.
Zelenskyy pushed back sharply against the decision as he headed to the annual NATO summit in Vilnius.
“It’s unprecedented and absurd when a time frame is set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine’s membership,” Zelenskyy tweeted. “While at the same time, vague wording about ‘conditions’ is added even for inviting Ukraine. It seems there is no readiness to invite Ukraine to NATO or to make it a member of the Alliance.”
NATO membership would afford Ukraine protection against a giant neighbor that annexed its Crimean Peninsula almost a decade ago and more recently seized vast swaths of land in the east and south. Joining NATO would also oblige Kyiv to reform its security institutions, improve governance and curb corruption — work that would also ease the country’s path into the European Union.
Asked about Zelenskiy’s concerns, Stoltenberg said the most important thing now is to ensure that his country wins the war, because “unless Ukraine prevails there is no membership to be discussed at all.”
The broadside from Zelenskiy could renew tensions at the summit shortly after it saw a burst of goodwill following an agreement by Turkey to advance Sweden’s bid to join NATO. Allies hope to resolve the seesawing negotiations and create a clear plan for the alliance and its support for Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president, who was to meet Wednesday with US President Joe Biden and other NATO leaders, expressed deep frustration in an emotional speech in downtown Vilnius.
