Draft NATO summit decision notes irreversibility of Ukraine's accession

The draft communiqué of the NATO summit in Washington defines Ukraine's path to the Alliance as "irreversible."

This was reported to CNN on Monday by three sources familiar with the situation, according to Yevropeiska Pravda.

The question of how strong the promises to make to Ukraine regarding its future NATO membership have become a key source of debate among the 32 members of the Alliance ahead of this week's summit in Washington.

The final text of the communiqué is still subject to change, but the presence of the "irreversible" language will send an important signal to Kyiv and Moscow. Official Kyiv insisted on a mention of the irreversibility of Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic course in the summit decision.

An unnamed U.S. official said that the White House supports the use of this word in the final communiqué, as long as the document also confirms that Ukraine's work on democratic reforms must continue. According to the official, the final version of the document will contain such a clause.

While many NATO members from Europe have emphasized the need for clear language on Ukraine's possible future in the Alliance, U.S. and German officials suggested that the communiqué describe a "bridge" to NATO membership for Ukraine.

At the same time, officials also emphasized the importance of "tangible measures" to support Kyiv's fight against Russia.

A senior U.S. administration official said on Friday that the Alliance would make "important new announcements on how we are increasing NATO's military, political and financial support for Ukraine" as part of the Ukraine Bridge.

Author - Dmitriy Levchenko, 09/07/2024