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World leaders pose for a group photo during NATO’s 75th anniversary celebrations in Washington, DC, on July 10, 2024.
CNN
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NATO leaders said on Wednesday that “Ukraine’s future lies with NATO” and jointly confirmed that its course is “irreversible,” pledging long-term support to Kyiv.
The leaders did not give a specific timeline for when Ukraine might join the defense alliance, but instead said they would be “in a position to invite Ukraine to join the alliance if the allies agree and the conditions are met.”
“We welcome the concrete progress Ukraine has made since the Vilnius summit on the sought-after democratic, economic and security reforms,” the leaders said in the Washington Leaders’ Declaration, issued after a meeting of NATO’s North Atlantic Council on Wednesday.
“As Ukraine continues this vital effort, we will continue to support Ukraine on its irreversible path toward Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership,” the declaration said.
The declaration outlined the alliance’s continuing support for Kiev, including previous announcements of new air defense systems and the establishment of NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) to coordinate allies and partners’ provision of military equipment and training to Ukraine.
The description of Ukraine’s course as “irreversible” came after months of diplomatic negotiations ahead of the Washington summit and was a point of contention among allies. Before the declaration was released, some diplomats argued that describing the course as “irreversible” was not enough and that stronger evidence was needed to back up the description.
Transferring training and equipment coordination under NATO jurisdiction is seen by many as a way to ensure continued support for Kiev if former U.S. President Donald Trump is re-elected. As Russia’s war in Ukraine continues with little sign of a military or diplomatic resolution, officials have privately expressed concern about how a Trump reelection would affect the defense alliance and military support for Kiev.
“Doubts are naturally growing about the future of Western support” for Ukraine, a European diplomat said last week.
The declaration stated that the NSATU’s objective was “to ensure durable, strengthened, predictable and consistent security assistance to Ukraine” and noted that “under international law, NATO will not become a party to a conflict.”
The declaration states that it will “support the reform of Ukraine’s defense and security forces and enable their further integration into NATO.”
The leaders also announced a “long-term support pledge” to Ukraine, pledging to “provide a minimum base funding of 40 billion euros over the next year and provide a sustainable level of security assistance to help Ukraine prevail.”
The declaration also expressed “deep concern” about the “deepening strategic partnership” between China and Russia and their “mutually reinforcing attempts to undermine and reshape the rules-based international order.”
The declaration recognized the Indo-Pacific region as “important to NATO” but did not suggest a stronger role for the alliance in the region.
“We welcome the continued contributions of Asia-Pacific countries to Euro-Atlantic security,” the statement said. “We are stepping up our dialogue to address regional challenges and strengthening our practical cooperation, including through our support for Ukraine and major projects in the areas of cyber defense, countering disinformation and technology.”
