Though they still believe that the time is not appropriate for the country to join, the Biden administration and NATO officials came up with the proposal as a way to provide something substantial to Ukraine during the summit.
At its approaching 75th anniversary summit in Washington, officials announced that NATO will grant Ukraine a new headquarters to oversee its military support. This move is a guarantee of the alliance’s long-term commitment to the nation’s security and is being hailed as a “bridge” to Ukraine’s future membership.
Along with a few other countries in Central Europe, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine had hoped that his nation would be extended an invitation to join NATO during the July 9–11 meeting.
Instead, the alliance will announce that it has agreed to set up a mission in Germany to coordinate aid of all kinds to Ukraine over the longer term, US and NATO officials said. The move is intended to send a strong signal of allied commitment, both to Ukraine and to Russia, which hopes the West will grow tired of supporting the war.
The operation is intended to continue even in the event that Donald Trump, a vocal opponent of the alliance and of aid to Ukraine, wins the US presidency in November because it will be conducted under NATO’s auspices.
Though they still believe that the time is not appropriate for the country to join, the Biden administration and NATO officials came up with the proposal as a way to provide something substantial to Ukraine during the summit.
Not only is there ongoing hostilities in Ukraine, but NATO may also be actively involved in the conflict. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and US President Joe Biden have stated that significant reforms must be implemented in Ukraine in order to lessen corruption and strengthen the country’s democracy and rule of law.
It is hoped that Zelenskyy would be appeased by the mission and the commitment it represents, which will result in a more uneventful summit than the one that took place in Vilnius, Lithuania, a year ago. At that meeting, Zelenskyy expressed his displeasure that Ukraine was not provided with a concrete schedule for membership negotiations.
The new mission will consolidate the efforts of the current “capabilities coalition” of nations that offer Ukraine military assistance in multiple domains, including air defense, artillery, F-16 fighter jets, weaponry, and training, under one roof.
The longer-term bilateral security agreements that various nations have signed with Ukraine and the training of Ukrainian military personnel in allied nations will also be coordinated, according to US and NATO officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the plan’s specifics have not yet been made public.
