NYT: Biden to propose 10 years of military aid for Ukraine; Kyiv seeks NATO membership

U.S. President Joe Biden is proposing to provide Ukraine with up to 10 years of stable military aid following Russia's invasion, adopting an "Israeli model" of security support as an alternative to Ukrainian membership in NATO, reported The New York Times with reference to sources in the White House.

The publication writes that NATO allies are pressuring Biden to support Ukraine's faster and more reliable path to the Alliance — the Baltic states and Poland want to establish a clear schedule and specific goals for Ukraine's membership after the end of the war.

After 16 months of the full-scale war, some NATO members are looking for ways to show that Ukraine has come closer to full membership in the Alliance.

The article states that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg offered Biden a "compromise" at a meeting on Tuesday, according to which NATO agrees that Ukraine will not need to go through the standard procedure for applicants for membership in the Alliance due to the experience of a major war with Western equipment and training.

Other US officials, by contrast, said such an option could raise questions about what would replace the standard admissions process.

At the July summit in Vilnius, NATO is expected to provide President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with a set of commitments to continue military aid in the medium term regardless of the results of the offensive by the Armed Forces of Ukraine or the date of the elections.

The NYT says Biden aides are leaning toward an "Israeli model" of 10-year military aid commitments to Ukraine to avoid constant political debate in Washington when approving aid budgets.

At the same time, Zelenskyy demands Ukraine's accession to NATO and claims that only membership in the Alliance can guarantee the country's security.

On June 1, France called for Ukraine to be given a path to NATO membership, while Germany said that "it is obvious that we cannot talk about accepting a new member in the midst of a war."

On June 7, Stoltenberg said that NATO should develop security guarantees for Ukraine before its accession.

At a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, the President of Poland Andrzej Duda strongly expressed his support for Ukraine's admission to the North Atlantic Alliance.