Ahead of an upcoming summit in Lithuania, NATO members found themselves divided on Monday regarding the process of granting Ukraine a path to membership. However, there seemed to be progress as one significant hurdle to Kyiv’s inclusion in the alliance was potentially removed.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg disclosed that he had proposed a package that included the elimination of the Membership Action Plan (MAP) requirement. MAP entails a set of political, economic, and military objectives that other Eastern European nations had to fulfill before joining NATO.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Ukraine, anticipated to attend the summit, seeks a clear invitation from Vilnius to join NATO once Russia’s aggression against Ukraine ceases, accompanied by security guarantees until that time.
Eastern European NATO members, who experienced decades of Moscow’s influence in the last century, have supported Ukraine’s stance. However, countries like the United States and Germany have approached the matter cautiously, concerned that any move could escalate tensions with Russia, potentially leading to a global conflict.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted that there was consensus among allies to abandon the MAP requirement but stressed the importance of providing clarity on Ukraine’s invitation to become a member.
Stoltenberg confirmed during a news conference that further discussions would take place on Monday, expressing certainty that unity and a strong message on Ukraine would be conveyed during the summit.
President Vladimir Putin has cited NATO’s expansion toward Russia’s borders over the past two decades as a justification for Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Diplomats involved in the discussions have been considering phrases such as “Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO” and that it will join “when conditions allow,” aiming to find wording acceptable to all 31 NATO member countries.
During a summit in Bucharest in April 2008, NATO declared that both Ukraine and Georgia would eventually join the U.S.-led alliance but provided no specific plan for their accession. Ukraine’s allies in the East are demanding more than the 2008 declaration, and this issue may once again require leaders to resolve it. European diplomats noted that positions remained entrenched, and little progress was made over the weekend.
