Biden gives the green light to Ukraine’s entry into NATO, although he keeps Kyiv at a distance for now.
“Kyiv will join the Atlantic Alliance when the conditions are right,” Jens Stoltenberg explained yesterday, following the position “dictated” by Joe Biden a few days before the summit and, of course, immediately approved by all NATO members. First, the war will end, then Ukraine will be able to enter into the alliance, if it complies with the requirements. The position is quite obvious: accepting Ukraine right away would mean being forced to defend it directly on the battlefield – but this enraged Zelensky.
Today, however, the Ukrainian president downplayed his tone, and Joe Biden explained, “We’re going to help Ukraine build a strong, capable defense across land, air and sea.”
The US President spoke at the end of the G7 summit held on the sidelines of the Alliance summit in Vilnius and added, “We all agree that the future of Ukraine lies in the Alliance, and the G7 statement is a guarantee of our commitment for the future. I spoke with Zelensky about the guarantees that we can put in place while we wait.”