Ukraine to receive ‘concrete ways’ for NATO accession at Washington Summit, says US State Department

During the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., Ukraine will be offered “concrete ways” to accelerate its accession to the Alliance, announced Douglas Jones, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, as reported by Voice of America.

“Summit organizers are understood to be leaning toward language in a final declaration that would say Ukraine’s path to NATO is “irreversible,” but the official would say only that the wording is still being negotiated,” the text reads.

NATO will deliberate on how to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression now, how to deter Russia in the future, and how to prepare for NATO membership, added Jones. 

“Foreign ministers from 35 non-NATO member partners are invited to attend the Washington summit. Notable attendees include the foreign ministers of Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates,” journalists write.

This will be the third consecutive Summit to involve heads of state from all 32 NATO member countries and leaders from Indo-Pacific partner countries such as Australia, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand.

Jones said the development of these allies’ resilience against threats and challenges from China is one of the key agenda items.

Earlier, Kurt Volker, an American diplomat and former US Ambassador to NATO and US Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations (2017-2019), stated that Ukraine will be invited to NATO, but this will not happen at the Alliance’s Washington summit in July.

Earlier, the Ukrainian World Congress launched an ongoing advocacy campaign, #UkraineInNATO, and invites all Ukrainian communities, organizations, Ukrainians, and friends of Ukraine worldwide to participate in this initiative.

The UWC advocacy campaign aims to bolster support for Ukraine and advocate for an invitation to join NATO, under the slogan “Make NATO Stronger — Invite Ukraine.”