Biden "Agrees to Ukraine's NATO Membership"

NATO Secretary General Expresses Agreement with Proposal

U.S. President Joe Biden has agreed to Ukraine's membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

According to major foreign media including the Associated Press on the 11th (local time), President Biden, after meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the NATO annual summit held in Vilnius, Lithuania, stated at a press conference, "I agree with your (Secretary General Stoltenberg's) proposal regarding the future of Ukraine joining NATO."

Earlier, Secretary General Stoltenberg had stated that member countries must agree to exclude the 'Membership Action Plan (MAP)' from the process of Ukraine's NATO accession. MAP is a procedure that sets political, economic, and military benchmarks for countries aspiring to join NATO and evaluates whether they have met these criteria.

Secretary General Stoltenberg emphasized, "In conclusion, we will make it clear that Ukraine will be excluded from MAP and will become a NATO member," adding, "We will send a very strong and positive signal to Ukraine within NATO."

Until just a few days ago, President Biden held the position that Ukraine's NATO membership was premature. In an interview with CNN on the 9th, he even stated, "I do not think Ukraine is ready to join NATO." He also mentioned that it is necessary to examine whether Ukraine has met the conditions required for NATO membership, such as democratization.

With President Biden's stance changing, attention is focused on the level of agreement regarding Ukraine's NATO membership at this NATO summit.

On the same day, Jake Sullivan, U.S. National Security Advisor at the White House, said that a "positive signal" would be sent regarding Ukraine's NATO membership issue but added that no timetable could be presented concerning Ukraine's NATO accession.

President Biden also expressed support for the one-year extension of Secretary General Stoltenberg's term until October 1 of next year, saying, "It is very important that you continue to lead NATO during this critical time for Ukraine and the entire NATO."

[Image source=Yonhap News]