Diplomats: Ukraine's Immediate Invitation to NATO Unlikely
NATO members are highly unlikely to grant Ukraine its wish of immediate invitation to the military alliance at a meeting on Tuesday, diplomats told the Reuters news agency this week....
Facts
- NATO members are highly unlikely to grant Ukraine its wish of immediate invitation to the military alliance at a meeting on Tuesday, diplomats told the Reuters news agency this week.[1]
- Having secured permission to use Western-provided long-range weapons on Russian territory after months of lobbying, Ukrainian officials — including Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy — have since turned to the country's aim of joining the military bloc.[2][3][4]
- Late last week, Zelenskyy suggested that the 'hot stage' of the war with Russia could be brought to an end if Ukrainian territory remaining under his control was brought into the 'NATO umbrella.' Ukraine could then 'get back the other part of its territory diplomatically,' he added.[3]
- Meanwhile, in a letter to NATO foreign ministers ahead of this week's meeting, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha suggested that his country's invitation to NATO 'should not be seen as an escalation,' further arguing that it would in fact end Russia's justification for continuing the invasion.[4]
- However, according to reports, NATO members remain unconvinced. 'It will take weeks and months to get consensus,' one senior NATO diplomat told Reuters. 'I don't see that happening [at the NATO foreign ministers' meeting], I would be very surprised.'[5]
- Elsewhere, the US announced an additional $725M of military aid for Ukraine on Monday. Germany also committed an additional €650M ($684M) of weaponry to Ukraine on Monday, coming as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made his second war-time visit to Kyiv.[6][7]
Sources: [1]Reuters (a), [2]CNN, [3]Guardian, [4]Reuters (b), [5]Archive, [6]State and [7]Euractiv.
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Politico. The US and Germany have been Ukraine's biggest supporters, but it must be understood that its immediate invitation into NATO is simply not possible while the conflict is ongoing. This would lead to a wider NATO-Russia war that could escalate further still.
- Pro-Ukraine narrative, as provided by Ukrainska Pravda. If Ukraine becomes a properly confirmed member of NATO, it will show Russian Pres. Putin that he will be lost from a geopolitical point of view. As Ukrainian Pres. Zelenskyy said, Russia must recognize that Europe has borders and independent states, and everyone has the right to choose their own future.
- Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. Dragging Ukraine into the NATO military alliance is what started this whole conflict in the first place — particularly NATO's cultivation of Ukrainian nationalism that resulted in a violation of rights against the country's Russian-speaking citizens. Without eliminating the root cause of the conflict, it's impossible to achieve a fair settlement.
