NATO offered a fast path to membership for Ukraine once the embattled country meets certain conditions on Tuesday.
Member states agreed to waive the Membership Action Plan requirement for NATO accession in a summit at Vilnius, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference where he also announced a multi-year security assistance program for Ukraine.
While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly called for a concrete roadmap for membership in the defense agreement, securing guarantees from the U.S. and allies to come to Ukraine’s defense in future conflicts, the plan revealed Tuesday falls short of a clear path, according to Bloomberg.
“This will change Ukraine’s membership path from a two–step process to a one-step process,” Stoltenberg said in a press conference. Members “will issue an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO when allies agree and conditions are met.”
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“We will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the Alliance when Allies agree and conditions are met,” NATO heads of state said in an official communique.
Member states also adopted “the most comprehensive defense plans since the end of the Cold War,” pledging to maintain 300,000 regional troops at constant readiness and cooperate on weapons and ammunition production, the statement said.
A new NATO-Ukraine Council will meet Wednesday with Zelenskyy, Stoltenberg said.
NATO committed more than 15 years ago Ukraine would one day become a member, a statement meant to deter Russian aggression, but did not develop a path to accession, Bloomberg reported.
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