Ukraine is seeking an invitation for NATO membership before President Joe Biden leaves the White House in January, according to a new report.
A senior Ukrainian diplomat spoke to Reuters and said that a NATO membership would be a fitting legacy for Biden.
Newsweek has reached out to the Biden administration via email for comment.
Ukraine first declared its intention to join NATO in 2002. Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and initially pursued a neutrality policy. But the growing influence of Russia prompted it to push for a NATO membership, especially after the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Newsweek has reached out to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry via email for comment.
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Russia has always been in opposition to Ukraine joining NATO. In December 2021, Russia issued an ultimatum to both NATO and the U.S. insisting that the alliance halt its expansion and withdraw forces from Eastern Europe. Russia demanded Ukraine be barred from NATO membership.
These so-called “red lines,” from Russia were rejected and tensions escalated. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia has long warned that it would respond severely if Ukraine were to join NATO.
Newsweek has reached out to the Kremlin via email for comment.
“Giving Ukraine (an) invitation at this moment is a political signal,” Nataliia Galibarenko, Kyiv’s NATO ambassador told Reuters. “We sincerely believe that it can be part of the legacy of (the) current American administration.”
A formal invitation to join NATO is a part of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky‘s “victory plan,” which he has presented to parliament in Kyiv. The plan also includes the lifting of restrictions on Ukraine’s ability to use long-range strikes on Russia, the continuation of the Kursk incursion, and a refusal to cede any more Ukrainian territory, as per the BBC.
The presidential election, now less than a month away, instills uncertainty for the future of Ukraine. Washington has been the largest provider of military aid for Ukraine, having donated a reported $175 billion, according to a September report from the Council on Foreign Relations.
While Vice President Kamala Harris is committed to continued support for Ukraine, it is unclear how support would look under former President Donald Trump.
Trump has called Zelensky “the greatest salesman on Earth” over the aid Ukraine has received from the Biden administration. The former president has claimed that he is “the only one” who can stop the war, and said he could “end the war within a day.”
In September, the Harris-Walz campaigns’ National Security Spokeswoman Morgan Finkelstein released a statement that said “Vice President Harris understands that the American people stand on the side of freedom, democracy and rule of law. She knows that if America walks away from Ukraine, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv with his eyes on the rest of Europe and our NATO allies.”
Newsweek has reached out to NATO via a form on their website for comment.
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