NATO not ready to offer Ukraine membership or invitation, says US ambassador
Photo: US Ambassador to NATO, Julianne Smith (facebook.com Julianne Smith)
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is not ready to offer membership to Ukraine. The same applies to an invitation to join the alliance, according to US Ambassador to NATO, Julianne Smith.
The US is now not ready to invite Ukraine to join NATO, which is a key point in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's victory plan.
"The alliance has not, to date, reached the point where it is prepared to offer membership or an invitation to Ukraine," Smith said.
She emphasized that the US intent is to "keep moving them (Ukrainians) closer to NATO."
Ukraine's NATO membership
A new wave of discussions around Ukraine's NATO membership arose after Russia's large-scale invasion in February 2022. President Zelenskyy said recently that Ukraine needs NATO because the country does not have the weapons to stop Putin.
Earlier, the French media Le Monde wrote about the categorically opposite position of the United States on Kyiv’s membership in the alliance. Journalists said that the US was ready to invite Ukraine to NATO.
Ukraine did not receive an invitation to join NATO at the July summit in Washington. For more details, read the report on RBC-Ukraine.
