UK Ambassador to NATO: Ukraine should not expect progress on membership at summit
British Ambassador to NATO David Quarrey (photo: flickr.com)
At the upcoming NATO summit in Washington, Ukraine should not expect much progress on its membership issue, states British Ambassador to NATO David Quarrey.
The members of the military alliance will meet in the U.S. capital between July 9 and 11, and while the issue of Ukraine's membership in NATO is likely to be discussed, Quarrey believes that Kyiv should temper its expectations.
"I don't expect a big leap forward on that mainly because of the likely situation on the ground," he said.
At the same time, according to Quarrey, the UK is "absolutely convinced that Ukraine's rightful place is in NATO."
"It's a question of 'when', not 'if', and our job is to continue supporting Ukraine as it comes ever closer to the alliance," he said.
NATO allies have long voiced their support for Ukraine's membership bid, but have so far failed to offer a clear timeline for accession.
Ukraine's accession to NATO
On September 30, 2022, it became known that Ukraine was applying for NATO membership under an accelerated procedure. Ukraine had been expecting an invitation to join NATO during the summer summit in Vilnius, but this did not happen.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg noted that Ukraine would not be able to join the Alliance until active hostilities ended.
Ukraine received NATO's recommendations for accession. This was the result of the NATO-Ukraine Council, which met in Brussels on November 29. The recommendations relate to the initial reforms needed to join the Alliance.
