NATO's dividing moment

According to The Washington Post, NATO member states are embroiled in discussions to determine the next steps for Ukraine's accession. These discussions have intensified ahead of US President Joe Biden and NATO leaders' planned trip to Vilnius, Lithuania, for the NATO summit in July.

NATO officials, many speaking on condition of anonymity, said that all 31 members of the military alliance unanimously agreed to rule out formally inviting Ukraine to join the alliance at the summit scheduled for July 11-12 in Lithuania.

While NATO member states in Eastern Europe are demanding that NATO present a roadmap for Ukraine's accession at the upcoming summit, the US and members in Western Europe are advocating for more modest steps, such as upgrading the NATO-Ukraine cooperation agency or expanding technical assistance to Ukraine in the defense sector.

Tuuli Duneton, a senior official in the Estonian Ministry of Defence, also said that the upcoming summit in Lithuania offers an opportunity to send a strong message to Ukraine that it deserves a place in NATO. Similarly, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said that he hopes the upcoming summit will chart a suitable path for Kyiv to join NATO.

However, the US, along with NATO member states in Western Europe, advocates a more cautious and slow approach to this issue. Some countries argue that admitting Ukraine while the conflict there is not yet over would put NATO in direct confrontation with Russia. A British diplomat stated that the goal between now and the summit in Lithuania is simply to promote an agreement that shows progress in Ukraine's desire to join.

Although not yet a member of NATO, on May 16th, Ukraine officially became a member of the Center for Advanced Cyber Defence Cooperation (CCDCOE), a NATO-affiliated organization.

Since the conflict in Ukraine broke out, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has repeatedly affirmed NATO's support for Ukraine's accession to the alliance, but has not specified when or how this would happen. For example, during his visit to Ukraine on April 20th, Stoltenberg pledged continued support for Kyiv's early accession to NATO, but did not provide a specific timeframe.

Recently, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius also revealed that no decision has been made on Ukraine's accession to NATO at this time, and stated that a decision on this matter will only be made after the conflict in Ukraine ends.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has urged NATO to make a decision soon regarding whether to invite Kyiv to join the alliance. “The summit in Vilnius will be meaningless without a decision on Ukraine’s future within the alliance,” emphasized Ambassador Nataliia Galibarenko, head of Ukraine’s mission to NATO.

According to Ambassador Galibarenko, Ukraine believes that NATO can clearly define the path for Kyiv to join the alliance instead of repeatedly stating its open-door policy towards new members. Explaining why NATO should admit Ukraine, Galibarenko said that without Ukraine, protecting NATO's eastern flank would be an impossible task. She emphasized: "Just as Finland and Sweden strengthened NATO's northern flank, Ukraine will help ensure the alliance's security in Eastern Europe and the Black Sea region."

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