The US President said he assured Volodymyr Zelensky of the determination of military support, but found the discussions about Ukraine’s membership in the alliance premature. Joe Biden believes the state is not yet ready to join.
Ukraine is not ready for NATO membership. The Alliance will be able to consider this possibility after the end of the war with the Russian Federation. This was expressed by US President Joe Biden in a CNN interview broadcast on July 9.
The American leader described the debate over Ukraine’s membership in the alliance as “premature”. At the same time, he assured that the United States and other NATO countries would continue to support the country with the necessary weapons to fight the Russian invaders.
“I don’t think there is unanimity in NATO on whether Ukraine should be included in the NATO family now, right now, in the middle of a war,” Biden said.
According to him, NATO countries are determined to stick to their agreements. That is, in the event of a possible attack on an alliance member, the allies would use “every inch” of their territory for common defense. The US President emphasized that if Ukraine becomes a NATO member, all countries will declare war on Russia.
The leader said he had long discussed the issue of Ukraine’s accession to NATO with his colleague Volodymyr Zelensky. He assured the Ukrainian president that the United States will not cease to support the country, in particular, they will continue to supply the Ukrainian Armed Forces with weapons.
“I think we need to follow a logical path so that Ukraine can qualify to join NATO,” Biden said.
He recalled that he refused Russian President Vladimir Putin, who demanded a commitment not to accept Ukraine into the alliance. The US leader explained that NATO adheres to an “open door policy”, meaning that it does not deprive states of the chance to be a part of it.
“But I think it’s too early to talk about calling for a vote right now because there are other conditions that need to be met,” Biden said.
Let us remind you that the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that the decision on the country’s NATO membership depends on the US leader Joe Biden. According to him, countries that have expressed their doubts on this issue trust the position of the American president.
On July 8, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that many important decisions have been taken in the context of the country’s accession to the alliance. He added that clarity on Ukraine’s NATO membership will be made at the upcoming summit.
Source: Focus
Bridger is a political journalist at 24 News Breaker, covering the Politics section with over 5 years of experience. Known for their detail-oriented reporting, Bridger delivers insightful and engaging analysis on political issues.