Leaders from NATO member states converged on Washington on Tuesday for a three-day summit held as war rages in Ukraine and debate continues over when, or if, the eastern European country should be invited to join the alliance.
NATO’s military presence on its eastern flank is a key item on the meeting’s agenda and something the bloc’s website describes as an “important component of NATO’s deterrence and defense posture.” Member countries have strived to shore up the eastern flank in recent years, deploying troops and hardware to deter a Russian attack.
But Ukraine will dominate the talks, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said last week, describing it as “our most urgent task,” and predicting that national leaders would “agree a substantial package for Ukraine” during the talks. He further said that these commitments, together with a new financial pledge, “constitute a bridge to NATO membership” for Ukraine.
The summit, held to mark the alliance’s 75th anniversary, comes just a day after one of the deadliest Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians since the start of the war. Tuesday saw a national day of mourning after at least 41 people were killed on Monday and 166 injured in a wave of Russian missile strikes. Kyiv’s main children’s hospital was among the targets hit, with two killed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be in attendance and is expected to push for more air defenses as Russia intensifies air attacks and seeks to consolidate recent battlefield gains. But Kyiv is unlikely to receive a formal invitation to join the alliance, reports say. U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO Julianne Smith told the Atlantic Council in April that the bloc was “not prepared last summer [at its Vilnius summit] to extend a proper invitation. . . and I am not expecting the Alliance to do that this summer.”
“What I am expecting allies to do,” she continued, “is to construct a bridge to membership by offering Ukraine a deliverable that will enable them to become even closer to this Alliance.” She declined to elaborate on what that “deliverable” might be but said to expect a measure that would “institutionalize” support.
NATO’s offer to Ukraine is expected to include a commitment to provide weaponry at current levels for at least another year, the AP news agency reported. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters last Friday that the 32 member countries have been spending collectively around €40 billion a year to support Ukraine and that this should be a “minimum baseline” going forward.
“I expect allies will decide at the summit to sustain this level within the next year,” Stoltenberg said, adding that the cost would be shared between members in line with their economic means. But no NATO membership until the war is over remains a “red line” for the alliance, along with no “boots on the ground,” according to AP.
The possible lack of a clear invitation to join NATO will disappoint Kyiv and member states, such as Poland, which have advocated for Ukraine's rapid membership of the alliance. Zelenskyy paid a visit to Warsaw on the eve of the summit, where he was assured of continued assistance for Ukraine in its war with Russia by the prime minister, Donald Tusk, and President Andrzej Duda. Tusk said after talks with Zelenskyy he had told him Poland would do everything in its power to ensure that NATO’s support was optimally effective. He also said Warsaw would advocate for Ukraine’s pathway to NATO membership to be as short as possible.
Tusk had earlier taken to the X platform to praise Zelenskyy and publicly assure him of Warsaw’s backing.
"Perseverance and courage. These words best describe the attitude of Zelenskyy in the battle for a secure Ukraine and a secure Europe," Tusk tweeted. "You can count on us in your fight."
President Duda, who will be representing Poland at the summit along with Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, also assured Zelenskyy of Poland’s commitment and said this remained firm across party divides. He said the initiation of Ukraine’s accession process would showcase NATO’s unity and determination and that “if Ukrainian society has the will to belong,” then the alliance should open the door to membership.
"We have supported the European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations of Ukrainian society from the very beginning ... and we will demonstrate this in Washington in the coming days,” Duda said, going on to note that the accession process would take time. Despite this, he said, starting it would "boost the morale of Ukraine's defenders" and "send a strong message towards Russia, and exhibit the coherence of the alliance's policy, its determination." Poland’s defensive capability will also be a focus of the summit, with an announcement expected on a new ballistic missile defense system to be based in the country.
But Ukraine will dominate the talks, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said last week, describing it as “our most urgent task,” and predicting that national leaders would “agree a substantial package for Ukraine” during the talks. He further said that these commitments, together with a new financial pledge, “constitute a bridge to NATO membership” for Ukraine.
The summit, held to mark the alliance’s 75th anniversary, comes just a day after one of the deadliest Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians since the start of the war. Tuesday saw a national day of mourning after at least 41 people were killed on Monday and 166 injured in a wave of Russian missile strikes. Kyiv’s main children’s hospital was among the targets hit, with two killed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be in attendance and is expected to push for more air defenses as Russia intensifies air attacks and seeks to consolidate recent battlefield gains. But Kyiv is unlikely to receive a formal invitation to join the alliance, reports say. U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO Julianne Smith told the Atlantic Council in April that the bloc was “not prepared last summer [at its Vilnius summit] to extend a proper invitation. . . and I am not expecting the Alliance to do that this summer.”
“What I am expecting allies to do,” she continued, “is to construct a bridge to membership by offering Ukraine a deliverable that will enable them to become even closer to this Alliance.” She declined to elaborate on what that “deliverable” might be but said to expect a measure that would “institutionalize” support.
NATO’s offer to Ukraine is expected to include a commitment to provide weaponry at current levels for at least another year, the AP news agency reported. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters last Friday that the 32 member countries have been spending collectively around €40 billion a year to support Ukraine and that this should be a “minimum baseline” going forward.
“I expect allies will decide at the summit to sustain this level within the next year,” Stoltenberg said, adding that the cost would be shared between members in line with their economic means. But no NATO membership until the war is over remains a “red line” for the alliance, along with no “boots on the ground,” according to AP.
'Perseverance and courage'
The possible lack of a clear invitation to join NATO will disappoint Kyiv and member states, such as Poland, which have advocated for Ukraine's rapid membership of the alliance. Zelenskyy paid a visit to Warsaw on the eve of the summit, where he was assured of continued assistance for Ukraine in its war with Russia by the prime minister, Donald Tusk, and President Andrzej Duda. Tusk said after talks with Zelenskyy he had told him Poland would do everything in its power to ensure that NATO’s support was optimally effective. He also said Warsaw would advocate for Ukraine’s pathway to NATO membership to be as short as possible.
Tusk had earlier taken to the X platform to praise Zelenskyy and publicly assure him of Warsaw’s backing.
"Perseverance and courage. These words best describe the attitude of Zelenskyy in the battle for a secure Ukraine and a secure Europe," Tusk tweeted. "You can count on us in your fight."
President Duda, who will be representing Poland at the summit along with Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, also assured Zelenskyy of Poland’s commitment and said this remained firm across party divides. He said the initiation of Ukraine’s accession process would showcase NATO’s unity and determination and that “if Ukrainian society has the will to belong,” then the alliance should open the door to membership.
"We have supported the European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations of Ukrainian society from the very beginning ... and we will demonstrate this in Washington in the coming days,” Duda said, going on to note that the accession process would take time. Despite this, he said, starting it would "boost the morale of Ukraine's defenders" and "send a strong message towards Russia, and exhibit the coherence of the alliance's policy, its determination." Poland’s defensive capability will also be a focus of the summit, with an announcement expected on a new ballistic missile defense system to be based in the country.
Source: NATO, PAP, AP, Atlantic Council, BBC, Express Tribune
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