US and Germany resist pressure to advance Ukraine’s NATO bid

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Just days before military alliance leaders meet in Lithuania, the US and Germany are under intense pressure from other allies to show more support for Ukraine’s eventual NATO membership.

Washington and Berlin have favored a form of wording for the summit’s closing statement that does not fully endorse a “pathway” to NATO membership, inviting Kiev to join after the war ends. So far away – as demanded by hardline supporters of Ukraine in Eastern Europe.

Officials briefed on the talks to the Financial Times said other members of the alliance were surprised by the “conservative” US and German stance.

On Sunday, US President Joe Biden dashed Kiev’s hopes of success on membership, saying he did not think Ukraine was ready.

“I think we have to find a rational way to make Ukraine eligible to join NATO,” Biden told CNN. “Calling for a vote” was “premature”. , , Now”, he added, “because other qualifications also need to be met, including democratization and some of those issues”.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine inspired the Atlantic alliance, but increasingly complex negotiations over how to mark Ukraine’s membership application risk exposing divisions over the extent of support for Kiev and the US and Germany. There are fears that NATO could be drawn into the war. ,

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited to the summit, which will take place in Vilnius on Tuesday and Wednesday. He has threatened to leave NATO if it does not indicate concrete progress on a 2008 statement that only called for Ukraine to “become a member”.

Zelensky told ABC on Sunday: “It’s all a matter of political will, just finding the right words and inviting Ukraine.”

The differences threaten to impact progress on separate long-term security assurances for Kiev. Two officials with knowledge of the plans told the FT that the UK, France, Germany, the US and other allies are aiming to announce a comprehensive agreement at the summit.

The proposal would create a multilateral framework within which countries could establish bilateral pledges of military and financial assistance. However, it may be delayed till after the summit, he said.

Officials said the coalition of allies is expected to announce the start of training for Ukrainian pilots in the US-made F-16 fighter jets.

Talks between NATO ambassadors on Sunday failed to reach an agreement on the text of the leaders’ statement, officials said, adding that it was likely that the leaders themselves would finalize it at the summit.

“(The majority) want to put this impression of a political decision in the communique,” said a person with knowledge of the talks. “Other people worry about automatism.”

Those pushing for a clear path to Kiev’s membership argue that anything less than this would mean that NATO is ignoring Ukraine’s pleas for post-war security under the alliance’s Article 5 mutual-defense clause, and The invasion would help Russian leader Vladimir Putin achieve one of his stated goals: preventing the country’s entry into the alliance.

But opponents, led by Germany and the US, say NATO cannot agree to anything that would make it appear Ukraine is on an inevitable path to membership without meeting stricter standards on governance, military standards and weapons, and The coalition cannot commit to anything without it. Not knowing how, or when, the war will end.

“It’s really important to keep NATO together,” Biden told CNN. “I don’t think there is unanimity in NATO on whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family at this time, in the midst of a war.”

Countries that oppose the formal “path” say the most important issue is ensuring that Ukraine does not lose the war. They point to the unprecedented level of military and financial aid they have provided to Kiev as evidence of their commitment.

In a statement to the Bundestag last month, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany does not support a quick Ukrainian accession.

“We have to take a serious look at the current situation,” Scholz said. “That’s why I suggest we focus on the top priority in Vilnius, namely strengthening Ukraine’s combat power.”

The alliance would upgrade NATO-Ukraine relations to a council format, allowing Kiev to convene crisis meetings. Diplomats said this would deepen the scope of cooperation between the two sides. It can also serve as a body that can regularly monitor accession progress.

The 31 members of the coalition have also tentatively agreed to drop the need for a formal membership action plan after a political decision on Ukraine’s accession has been made. The MAP is a bureaucratic process designed to ensure that former Warsaw Pact members are ready to join.

The two diplomats said steps would be taken to ensure that Ukraine met standards on administrative issues such as anti-corruption reforms, weapons interoperability and the security of intelligence sharing.

A resolution by the alliance’s eight eastern members would force NATO foreign ministers to re-evaluate Ukraine’s progress in November.

A US official said, “We hope that we will find agreed language that will reflect progress on Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations.”

NATO and Germany declined to comment.

“I hope . . . that when leaders meet in Vilnius, they will also agree on a package that would allow Ukraine to join NATO,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday, referring to steps that were both “political” and “practical.” Will get even closer.”

“I am confident that we will find a united way to address the specific issue on membership, but I will not go into the details of the exact language right now,” he said. “We will have a message that is clear.”

Additional reporting by Guy Chazan in Berlin