The USA no longer objects to inviting Ukraine to NATO. A change in the position of the States may also change the opinion of Berlin, which previously opposed Kyivʼs inclusion in the Alliance.
Le Monde writes about this with reference to sources.
Current US President Joe Biden discussed Volodymyr Zelenskyʼs victory plan with the leaders of Germany, France and Great Britain Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron and Kir Starmer in Berlin on Friday. The USA, which together with Germany blocked the steps to join Ukraine to NATO, now fundamentally does not object to a simple invitation of Kyiv to the Alliance.
According to an unnamed European diplomat, if the candidate from the Democratic Party Kamala Harris wins the presidential elections in the USA, it can be assumed that Joe Biden will start work on inviting Ukraine already in the transition period.
Several Le Monde sources believe that the change in Washingtonʼs position may also change the opinion of Berlin, which opposes Ukraineʼs inclusion in NATO.
At the same time, the leaders of the USA, Germany, France, and Great Britain cannot resolve the issue of inviting Ukraine to NATO as a four-party force — this requires wider support from the Alliance members, and Turkey and Hungary, most likely, will be against Kyivʼs rapid rapprochement with the Alliance.
Ukraine was the main topic at the meeting of the four leaders in Germany, notes Le Monde. The leaders of the states sought to coordinate their responses to the victory plan.
"This is an ambitious plan that raises complex issues on which there is no spontaneous consensus," one diplomatic source told the newspaper.
Another issue of the victory plan, which was discussed by the leaders in Berlin, is strikes on the territory of Russia with long-range weapons of Western production. The US and Germany want to limit the risk of escalation, while France and the UK are more determined. The leaders agreed that long-range strikes may not be enough to radically change the situation at the front. However, the heads of state did not reach a joint decision, and they will not have time to reach it before the elections in the USA, writes Le Monde.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine please follow us on X.