Secretary of State Antony Blinken heralded the 75th anniversary of the NATO alliance and declared that war-torn Ukraine will eventually join the 32-member bloc.
“Ukraine will become a member of NATO. Our purpose at the summit is to help build a bridge to that membership,” Blinken proclaimed in Brussels on Thursday.
Kyiv has made numerous attempts at joining the security alliance, including in 2008, when it faced resistance from Germany and France, who feared the risk of alienating neighboring Russia.
At the 2008 Bucharest Summit, NATO members agreed that Ukraine would eventually join NATO, something backed by the US. But almost 16 years later, Ukraine still remains on the sidelines.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that other NATO members shared his view that Ukraine will eventually join the alliance. POOL/AFP via Getty Images
During the 2023 summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, NATO allies agreed that Ukraine could become a member after it fulfills certain criteria.
“Ukraine will join NATO. It is not a question of if, but of when,” outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at the time.
Shortly afterward, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky seethed at the “vague wording about ‘conditions’” to which the members agreed, arguing it was unfair for Kyiv to keep getting strung along.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has complained about NATO expansion but implied he doesn’t believe Ukraine is a real country. APZelensky has made clear his ambition to eventually join NATO and even pushed to fast-track membership.
The most recent newcomers, Sweden and Finland, joined after Russia’s brutal assault on Ukraine and faced stiff resistance from Turkey and Hungary. Sweden’s ascension was finalized last month.
Given that Ukraine is mired in a conflict with both Russia and a territorial dispute in the Donbas region, NATO membership appears unlikely for some time as members will likely seek to avoid getting dragged into a war.
Some critics of Western policy have contended that NATO expansion in the 1990s and 2000s toward former Soviet satellite states and republics provoked Russia.
Ukraine marked two years since Russia’s invasion began on Feb. 24. REUTERSPrior to the invasion of Ukraine, Russia shared a border with roughly 11% of NATO nations, according to the alliance.
The next NATO summit will take place in Washington, DC, in July.
Back in the US, the House of Representatives is widely expected to begin weighing a supplemental aid package for Ukraine when it reconvenes next week.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has affirmed his commitment to replenish aid, despite facing intense pressure against doing so from his right flank.
