Ukraine will become NATO member despite Russia's demands – US State Department
Photo: EPA
The United States is sure that any estimates and demands of the Russian Federation to prevent Ukraine's membership in the North Atlantic Alliance will be useless.
This opinion was expressed by the US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller, the European Pravda reported.
The State Department representative recalled that before the full-scale invasion, Moscow demanded commitments that Ukraine would never join NATO. Even then, Washington "made it clear that it is not on the table."
"We confirm this commitment even today, and we made it clear that Ukraine will become a member of NATO," Miller stressed.
As the representative of the State Department emphasized, to whatever calculations Vladimir Putin makes, "he only has to look at the security assistance we have already provided to Ukraine to help deter Russian attacks" and "security assistance" that Ukraine has "put into great use on the battlefield."
Miller also responded to the journalist's remark about Ukraine's dissatisfaction with the fact that Kyiv did not receive a clear timetable for joining the Alliance at the summit in Vilnius.
The State Department expressed its understanding. At the same time, he added that "in their place," the Americans "would make the same requests" as the Ukrainians.
Earlier, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, expressed his disappointment with the decision of the North Atlantic Alliance summit in Vilnius regarding Ukraine's membership, which did not include the desired invitation for Kyiv.
What we know about Ukraine's accession to NATO
The two-day NATO summit started in Vilnius on July 11. In the final communiqué of the summit, published on the Alliance website, the Heads of State and Government of the North Atlantic Alliance recognized Ukraine's progress on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration. They confirmed that Ukraine's future lies with NATO.
NATO Heads of State and Government agreed to drop the requirement for a Membership Action Plan for Ukraine. They said they would extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the Alliance after "fulfillment of conditions."
The final document of the NATO summit in Vilnius will not contain an invitation to Ukraine for membership negotiations. Still, it will provide for the possibility of such an invitation when the allies agree to it and when the conditions allow.
The summit decision does not include a list of conditions to be fulfilled by Ukraine, but a mechanism for their assessment is defined. The Annual National Program (ANP) will be a tool for monitoring the reforms implemented by Ukraine. This tool is already at the disposal of Ukraine.
