There will be no invitation to NATO this year. Zelensky was asked not to even mention it – The Telegraph
29 May 2024 10:02
Ukraine will not receive an invitation to join NATO at this year’s summit in Washington, D.C., which is scheduled to take place on 9-11 July. In fact, President Zelenskyy was asked not to even raise the issue, reports "Komersant Ukrainian" reports citing The Telegraph.
According to the newspaper, the Alliance still fears that Ukraine’s invitation will draw them into a war with Russia. That is why Germany and the United States are against giving Kyiv a clear timetable for preparing for accession.
“They are very sceptical about pushing Ukraine further on the path to full NATO membership this year,”
– said a source familiar with the Biden administration’s position.
Therefore, Volodymyr Zelenskyy was warned not to demand the “impossible” from the Alliance.
At last year’s summit in Vilnius, Zelenskyy called the refusal to invite Ukraine to full membership “absurd”.
“Senior NATO officials carried out ‘expectation management’ after the summit, after it was decided that members supporting Ukraine’s accession, including the UK, had created too much pressure around the decision. There are concerns that the issue of Ukraine’s membership was allowed to dominate last year’s summit and create divisions among member states,”
– the Telegraph writes.
If this happens again, it will be a good gift for Donald Trump ahead of his likely presidency, the Alliance believes.
Zelenskyy has now been advised to avoid putting pressure on individual allies. Instead, NATO leaders will refuse to provide a timeframe for Ukraine’s accession, but will offer a “pathway” to accession as a gesture of support for the process.
“The support package currently being discussed will emphasise ‘Ukraine’s ability to choose its own future’ and demonstrate that ‘the path to membership is getting shorter’,”
– the newspaper writes.
At the same time, NATO is discussing the possibility of sending military instructors to Ukraine.
