Ukraine will become a NATO member in future, - US State Department
NATO continues to adhere to the "open door" policy and Ukraine will be invited to join NATO when all the conditions for accession are met.
This was emphasized by US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller during a press briefing on July 11, reports Censor.NЕТ with reference to Voice of America.
"One of the things that Russia said before this war started was that they were strongly opposed to Ukraine joining NATO and wanted an ironclad commitment that Ukraine would never join NATO. We have clearly stated that this is not on the table, that we are committed to NATO's open door policy. We emphasize this commitment today. We have clearly stated that Ukraine will become a member of NATO," Miller said.
The U.S. State Department spokesman added that it would be inappropriate to admit Ukraine to the alliance right now. According to him, a good reason why Ukraine does not become a member of NATO right now is that it "would instantly draw the United States into a war with Russia."
According to Miller, the abolition of the MAP is a recognition of the progress that Ukraine has made over the past few years, especially since the full-scale Russian invasion: "Ukraine is becoming more and more integrated, particularly politically with NATO. You have seen NATO training Ukrainian forces, NATO providing military systems."
Among the conditions for Ukraine's accession to NATO, Miller emphasized the strengthening of democracy and anti-corruption reform. "Ukraine has already made significant progress, and we will be able to invite them to join NATO when all the conditions are met," the State Department spokesman emphasized. According to him, Ukraine has demonstrated progress in democratization and military reforms.
"We have always understood why President Zelenskyy and other representatives of the Ukrainian government and society made requests to NATO, the United States, and other countries. Their country was invaded, their infrastructure was attacked, thousands of their citizens were killed, we understand them. If we were in their shoes, we would make the same requests," the US State Department spokesman added.
