Ukraine to become NATO member despite Russia's demands – US State Department
The United States has stated that whatever calculations and demands Russia may have to prevent Ukraine's NATO membership, they will be in vain.
Source: briefing by Matthew Miller, Spokesperson for the US Department of State, as reported by European Pravda
Details: The State Department spokesperson recalled that before the start of the full-scale invasion, Moscow had demanded commitments that Ukraine would never join NATO, and Washington had "made it clear that it was not on the table".
"We reiterate that commitment today, and we made clear today that Ukraine will become a member of NATO," Miller said.
He said that whatever calculations Vladimir Putin makes, "he only has to look at the security assistance we [the US – ed.] have already provided to Ukraine," as well as "security assistance," which Ukrainians "have put into great use on the battlefield".
At the same time, responding to a journalist's remark that Ukraine was dissatisfied with the fact that at the Vilnius summit Kyiv did not receive a clear schedule for joining the Alliance, Miller expressed understanding, adding that "if we [the Americans – ed.] were in their shoes, you can expect that we would be making the exact same requests".
Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba expressed disappointment with the decision of the North Atlantic Alliance summit in Vilnius on Ukraine's membership, which did not have the desired invitation for Kyiv.
The decision of the Vilnius Summit contains quite positive wording regarding Ukraine. In particular, the NATO summit agreed to remove the requirement for a Membership Action Plan on Ukraine's path to the Alliance. At the same time, the allies made it clear that they would invite Ukraine to join NATO "when conditions are reached".
The decision of the summit does not contain a list of conditions that Ukraine must fulfil, but a mechanism for their assessment is defined. The Annual National Programme (ANP) will become a tool for controlling the reforms implemented by Ukraine. This tool is already at the disposal of Ukraine.
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