US ambassador does not expect NATO invitation for Ukraine at July summit
Kyiv • UNN
NATO Ambassador Julianne Smith does not expect the military alliance to invite Ukraine to join at the summit in Washington.
US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said on Tuesday that she did not expect the alliance to invite Ukraine to join at a summit in Washington in July, Reuters reported, UNN reported.
"As for this summer's summit, I don't expect the alliance to extend an invitation at this stage," Smith said in response to a question during a telephone conversation with reporters before a meeting of NATO defense ministers on Thursday.
By fighting Russia's invasion, Ukraine has made it clear that its goal is to become a member of a military alliance, the newspaper notes.
"Kyiv and some of its allies within NATO, especially in Eastern Europe, are pushing for a membership invitation, even though they recognize that Ukraine cannot join NATO while it is at war," the article says.
At a summit in Lithuania last year, NATO leaders declared that Ukraine's future lies in the alliance, but did not extend an invitation or set a timeline for accession.
"We have worked very diligently since the Vilnius Summit last year to take a number of steps to continue to help our friends in Ukraine with the necessary reforms in their own country to move closer to Euro-Atlantic integration," Smith said.
"And we continue to focus primarily on supporting them in their current struggle and ensuring their victory on the battlefield," she said.
