US Ambassador to NATO Julianna Smith said that the Alliance will offer Ukraine a package of security measures at the July summit in Washington, which will serve as a "bridge" to NATO membership.
DefenseNews writes about it.
According to her, NATO members will offer Ukraine a package of documents. Part of them will include "the institutionalization of certain bilateral support currently provided to Ukraine and its transfer under NATO command." Smith did not elaborate on this.
As for the summit itself, it will focus on regional defense plans and threat containment, as well as increased defense spending. Smith expects that just over 20 countries will spend at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense.
- On September 30, 2022, President Volodymyr Zelensky, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal signed an application for Ukraineʼs accession to NATO under the accelerated procedure, which provides for accession to the Alliance without a Membership Action Plan (MAP).
- On July 11, 2023, at the NATO summit, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Ukraine will receive an invitation to NATO when all allies agree and the conditions are met. First of all, these are the fight against corruption, reforms to modernize public administration institutions (including the security and defense sector), compatibility with NATO standards, and the end of the war. Following the results of the NATO summit in Vilnius, the member states adopted a three-part package to bring Ukraine closer to the Alliance. The MAP for Ukraine was canceled, but Kyiv did not receive a full invitation.
- Instead, the countries of the "Big Seven" and the countries of Northern Europe agreed on security guarantees for Ukraine on the way to NATO.
- Currently, Ukraine is implementing NATO standards, adapting the troops to them, in particular the management, and also carrying out the necessary reforms.