Brussels, July 7: NATO leaders will agree next week to help modernise Ukraine’s armed forces, create a new high-level forum for consultations and reaffirm that it will join their alliance one day, the organisation’s top civilian official said on Friday. But the war-torn country will not start membership talks soon.
At a two-day summit starting on Tuesday in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, US President Joe Biden and his counterparts will also agree to boost defence spending as allies pour weapons, ammunition and other support like uniforms and medical equipment into Ukraine, 17 months into the war.
They also hope to welcome Sweden as the next member of the world’s biggest security organisation, if they can overcome Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s objections, even though its accession would only be made official in coming months.
“For 500 days, Moscow has brought death and destruction to the heart of Europe, seeking to destroy Ukraine and divide NATO,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Friday.
“At the summit, we will make Ukraine even stronger, and set out a vision for its future.” Stoltenberg said the leaders “will agree a multi-year program of assistance to ensure full inter-operability between the Ukrainian armed forces and NATO.”
A NATO-Ukraine Council – where crisis talks can be held – will be established. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskky will attend the council’s first meeting in Vilnius on Wednesday.
Stoltenberg said the leaders “will reaffirm that Ukraine will become a member of NATO and unite on how to bring Ukraine closer to its goal.”
NATO first pledged that Ukraine would become a member one day in 2008, but things have evolved little since then.
Asked when, or how, Ukraine might join, Stoltenberg said that the “most important thing now is to ensure that Ukraine prevails.”
The US, Germany and some other allies consider that Ukraine should not be invited in while it’s at war, so as not to encourage Russia to widen the conflict.
With Ukraine imploring its Western partners for more weapons and ammunition, and national military stocks among its partners depleting, NATO is encouraging the 31 allies to boost their military budgets. (AP)
