NATO Says Ukraine May Join Alliance When ‘Conditions Are Met’
VILNIUS, Lithuania—NATO members on Tuesday issued a statement expressing their support for Ukraine’s membership but failing to provide a timeline for when this may occur.
“Ukraine’s future is in NATO,” the Vilnius Summit Communique (pdf) read.
The high-stakes summit in Vilnius, set for July 11–12, brings together leaders from the alliance’s 31 member countries to discuss crucial global security challenges, including the war in Ukraine.
The allies reaffirmed their commitment made at the 2008 Bucharest Summit and acknowledged that Kiev made “substantial progress on its reform path.”
In its communiqué, NATO also removed the requirement that Ukraine implement a so-called “Membership Action Plan.” Instead, they’ve adapted an “Annual National Program” to review progress on a regular basis….