WASHINGTON – Ukraine’s bid to speed up its efforts to join NATO, following Russia’s annexation of four more Ukrainian territories, is being met with caution in Brussels and Washington, where top officials are trying to shift focus to their unwavering support for Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a video on social media on Friday showing him signing a formal bid for accelerated membership of the Western alliance.
“De facto, we have already made it to NATO,” Zelenskyy said in a statement accompanying the video. “Today, Ukraine applies to become it de jure.”
But when NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was asked during a briefing whether the alliance would move quickly on the application.
“Our focus now is on providing immediate support to Ukraine, to help Ukraine defend itself against the Russian brutal invasion,” Stoltenberg told reporters.
“That is the main focus and main effort of NATO allies as we speak,” he added, saying such support would come “as long as it takes.”
Officials in NATO and NATO member states have long said that sovereign nations, such as Ukraine, should be free to seek membership in the alliance. And in June last year, Ukraine participated in a summit of NATO heads of state and government in Madrid.
However, there has been no rush to give Ukraine full membership.
“Our view is that the best way for us to support Ukraine is through practical support on the ground in Ukraine, and that the process in Brussels should be taken up at a different time,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Friday.
Russia has repeatedly called the prospect of NATO expansion an existential threat, while arguing before its invasion of Ukraine in February that Ukrainian membership in NATO would be a provocation.
However, Western and US officials argue that Russia’s actions have had the opposite effect, with Sweden and Finland moving to NATO in July.
The US Senate approved NATO membership for the two countries in August. Only Hungary and Turkey still need to ratify their applications for membership.
The US Senate approves NATO membership for Sweden, Finland
Source: sn.dk