Ukraine can join NATO even before the war unleashed by Russia against it is formally over. Jim Townsend, former assistant to the head of the Pentagon for relations with NATO, expressed this opinion to the PAP agency .
Townsend, who is now a senior expert on the transatlantic security program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) in Washington, believes that a formal end to the war is not a hard condition for Ukraine’s entry into NATO, and at the same time, a truly serious guarantee of future security for Ukraine can only be full membership in the North Atlantic Alliance.
Townsend notes that postponing the decision on Ukraine’s entry into the Alliance on the basis that the war with Russia is not formally over, may encourage the Russian Federation to delay the recognition of its defeat as much as possible.
“The best option, of course, would be the complete defeat of Russia, but even if this does not happen and the Russian Federation does not recognize defeat after the end of hostilities, there may still be a situation where the Alliance will be more disposed to accept Ukraine than it is now,” he said.
In his opinion, one should not expect a decisive step from the NATO summit in Vilnius to invite Ukraine to the Alliance, but one can count on the fact that its path to membership will be specified – “an analogue of the MAP, but specially tailored for Ukraine.”
Townsend called “important and positive” the statement on the creation of the NATO-Ukraine Council, which will give Ukraine the opportunity of direct representation in NATO structures and “more or less on an equal footing” to influence the consideration and adoption of decisions related to its entry.
The NATO leaders’ summit will be held in Vilnius on July 11-12.
- On July 5, 2023, a White House spokeswoman said that NATO member countries will decide on Ukraine’s membership when it “meets” all the requirements and carries out the necessary reforms. “The Foreign Ministry reacted and called on the West to reform its attitude towards Russia . “
- Kirby also advised that the NATO summit in Vilnius should not be viewed as a “decision point” on specific weapons systems .
- The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Budanov , said that the expectations of the Ukrainian society from the NATO summit “will not be satisfied” , and Ukraine will not be invited to join the Alliance during the event.
Source : LIGA