NATO discussing invitation of Ukraine, but no consensus – White House
Discussions within NATO regarding Ukraine's potential membership in the alliance are ongoing, according to a high-ranking official from President Joe Biden's administration during a briefing ahead of Biden's planned visit to Germany, the White House reports.
"There’s a discussion amongst NATO Allies about an invitation. There is not consensus at this time to offer Ukraine an invitation. But as you know, at the NATO Summit just, what, a couple months ago — in July, mid-July — all 32 Allies affirmed that Ukraine is on an irreversible path to membership. So the question is about the tactics of how to encourage that path and how to gain consensus on the next steps," the official said.
The official added that there is an "active conversation" regarding various elements of the Victory Plan presented by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"There are certain elements that we are currently fulfilling in terms of providing additional military capability, which is also an element of the plan," the official stated.
The American official noted that the position of the United States and President Biden, in particular, is to "put Ukraine in a position of strength."
"We want it to prevail in this war. And we need to give it the capabilities that it needs to do that. But we cannot do that alone. We need to do that with our partners and allies, which is why President Biden had called for a Ramstein Summit," the official said.
The meeting was postponed but is likely to take place in November, the official noted.
On October 16, Zelenskyy publicly presented his Victory Plan in the Verkhovna Rada for the first time.
The key provision of the plan is for Ukraine to be invited to join NATO before the end of the war. According to the president, the war can be ended by 2025 with this plan.
The remaining points of the plan include arguments on why this decision about NATO will be a beneficial proposal for the Alliance as well, and a list of actions that partners need to take to bring victory closer.