The United States is considering the inclusion of automatic NATO membership for Ukraine as a security guarantee in case of violation of the peace agreement by Russia, NBC News reports, citing four US officials, UNN writes.
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"One of the security guarantees that the United States is considering as part of the peace deal is to automatically grant Ukraine NATO membership if Russia violates the agreement," NBC News reports , citing four US officials.
Such a provision, the newspaper points out, would address a key concern of Ukraine and its allies - that Russia will regroup and invade the country again, the four officials said.
Ahead of Pentagon chief Pete Hagel's speech in Brussels on February 12, some State Department officials reportedly cited four administration and congressional officials as advising his team not to say publicly that Ukraine would not receive NATO membership as part of a peace deal with Russia. Hagesse's speech did not follow this advice. However, Hagel, who said that his comments on Ukraine's possible NATO membership were made in coordination with the rest of Trump's national security team, softened his comments the next day. He insisted that "everything is on the table" in the negotiations.