Bloomberg: No promise to accept Ukraine in NATO summit declaration
The final declaration of the NATO summit to be held in The Hague at the end of June will not contain a promise to admit Ukraine to the Alliance. This was reported by Bloomberg with reference to the draft document and unnamed interlocutors familiar with the matter.
The declaration focuses exclusively on defense spending, in sharp contrast to last year's statement, which promised long-term security assistance to Ukraine.
"It is noteworthy that the statement does not mention the prospect of Ukraine joining the military alliance, which was a prominent issue at previous summits. Last year's $40 billion pledge to Kyiv was also not brought back for consideration," the article says.
NATO Allies to consider including contributions to Ukraine's defense in new spending target expected to be adopted by Allies at summit.
NATO will also propose to work on removing barriers to trade in defense products, according to a preliminary draft declaration. The draft is likely to change before the final version is agreed upon at a meeting in The Hague.
The interlocutors noted that the shortness of both the statement and the summit itself, which will include a dinner with the King of the Netherlands and a single working session on defense spending, is intended to limit the possibility of public quarrels between US President Donald Trump and allies.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte focused the summit on securing a victory for Trump in the form of an agreement among members to spend at least 5% of GDP on defense. He also wants the US to remain fully engaged in NATO.
The draft declaration reaffirms the Allies' commitment to collective defense, that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all, and that the Allies will take appropriate action.
The statement recognizes Russia as a threat to Euro-Atlantic security, as called for by the majority of members. However, Russia is not recognized as an aggressor against Ukraine. In addition, the draft makes no mention of China, which was previously called a "decisive enabler" of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
- On July 9-11, 2024, a NATO summit was held in Washington. It adopted a declaration stating that Ukraine's membership in the Alliance is inevitable.
- On February 12, 2025, US Secretary of Defense Hegseth said that returning Ukraine to pre-2014 borders and joining NATO are unrealistic goals.
- On February 27, Trump said, that Ukraine "can forget" about membership in the Alliance.
- On May 20, the President of Lithuania said that if NATO does not fulfill the promise of membership given to Ukraine, it will be a serious blow to the reputation of the Alliance.
