US Department of State explains why Ukraine's accession to NATO is impossible for now
NATO continues to adhere to the "Open Door" policy and Ukraine will be invited to NATO when all conditions are met, but this is impossible for now, as it would mean involving the US in the war with Russia.
Source: Voice of America with reference to Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the US Department of State
Quote from Miller: "One of the things Russia said before this war began is that they were firmly opposed to Ukraine joining NATO, and they wanted an ironclad commitment that Ukraine would never join NATO, and we made clear that was not on the table, that we maintained NATO’s 'Open Door' policy. We reiterate that commitment today, and we made clear today that Ukraine will become a member of NATO."
Details: According to him, it would be inappropriate to accept Ukraine into NATO right now. A good reason why Ukraine is not becoming a member of NATO right now is that it would "put the United States in a shooting war with Russia".
The cancellation of the Membership Action Plan (MAP), according to Matthew Miller, is a recognition of the progress that Ukraine has made in the last few years, especially since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, "Ukraine is becoming increasingly interoperable and politically integrated. You’ve seen Ukrainians forces being trained by NATO states, NATO states providing military assistance," he said.
Among the conditions for Ukraine's accession to NATO, Miller emphasised the strengthening of democracy and anti-corruption reform. "We are noting that they [Ukraine - ed.] have made significant progress and that we are ready to extend an invitation when conditions are met," he emphasised. According to Miller, Ukraine has demonstrated progress in democratisation and army reforms.
"We have always understood why President Zelenskyy and other members of the Ukrainian Government and other members of the Ukrainian public make the request to the United States and to NATO and to other countries that they do. Their country has been invaded. They’ve seen their – they’ve seen civilian infrastructure attacked; they’ve seen thousands of their fellow citizens die. We certainly understand where they’re coming from. And if we were in their shoes, you can expect that we would be making the exact same requests," the spokesperson for the US Department of State added.
Background: The NATO Summit in Vilnius that kicked off on 11 July has adopted a package of decisions consisting of three elements concerning Ukraine, mainly its path to NATO membership.
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