All allies support the idea of extending an official invitation to Ukraine to join NATO, except for two, says Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, Olha Stefanishyna.
The New York Times reported today that the United States and Germany remain opposed to offering Ukraine a start to NATO membership negotiations. According to Stefanishyna, the purpose of this material was to prepare NATO countries and Ukraine for what decisions to expect or not to expect at the upcoming Alliance summit.
The Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration stated that the agenda of issues related to Ukraine is also determined by Ukraine. She emphasized that for Ukraine, the question of NATO membership is on the agenda and will remain on the agenda until the decision is made.
"The format of the invitation was proposed by Ukraine as a legal guarantee of NATO membership. It is on the agenda. All allies support this decision except for two. Since this information has become public, the United States and Germany are now trying to draw attention to other skeptical allies, such as Hungary and Slovakia. But it's the key position of these two countries," Stefanishyna explained.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the US and Germany oppose the start of negotiations on membership because it is no longer just talks, but a real decision.
"Because it's a real decision. An invitation is a real decision," she emphasized.
NATO Summit
The NATO Summit in Washington will take place from July 9 to 11, 2024 in the US capital, Washington, D.C. It will be dedicated to the Alliance's 75th anniversary. The summit was officially proposed in 2023 during the NATO Summit in Vilnius.
Before this, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the United States expects to discuss the development of a "roadmap" for Ukraine's NATO accession at the Alliance summit, which will be held from July 9 to 11 in Washington.
