"They said it was premature... NATO only promises to 'streamline membership procedures' for Ukraine"

'Fast Track' Agreement Waiving Membership Requirements
No Specific Schedule Mentioned... Zelensky Criticizes

The 31 member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have agreed to streamline the accession process for Ukraine. However, no specific deadline was specified. Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, who had sought a clear commitment regarding the post-war accession schedule, expressed disappointment, saying, "Uncertainty is a weakness" and "It motivates Russia to continue its invasion."

On the first day of the summit held on the 11th (local time) in Vilnius, Lithuania, the 31 NATO countries announced this in a joint statement. Clause 11 of the joint statement included the content: "Member countries will be in a position to send an invitation letter to Ukraine once they agree and the necessary conditions for accession are met."

Accordingly, Ukraine will be exempt from the 'Membership Action Plan' (MAP), which future applicant countries must undergo. MAP is a procedure that sets political, economic, and military benchmarks for countries wishing to join NATO and evaluates whether the country meets these criteria. Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, emphasized the significance by calling it a "strong package for Ukraine." Finland, which joined NATO in April, was also exempted from MAP and completed its accession in 11 months.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

However, no concrete timeline, which Ukraine had hoped for, was presented. For Ukraine, which viewed a specific schedule for joining NATO after the war as a decisive factor in deterring Russia's invasion, this ambiguous outcome fell short of expectations. President Zelensky expressed concern, saying, "It is unprecedented and absurd that no deadline has been set." He criticized, "It seems they are not ready to invite Ukraine to NATO or make it an ally," adding, "This motivates Russia to continue its invasion. Uncertainty is a weakness."

It is reported that the 31 NATO countries showed considerable differences of opinion regarding Ukraine's NATO accession at this meeting. In particular, major countries such as the United States and Germany opposed setting a specific schedule, fearing it could provoke Russia amid the ongoing war. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, "NATO member countries have buried their differences of opinion on Ukraine," and "disappointed Ukraine by not presenting a concrete schedule."

This aligns with the opinion of the United States, which leads NATO. Earlier, before heading to Europe to attend the NATO summit, U.S. President Joe Biden stated in a public interview, "There is no unanimous agreement within NATO on whether to admit Ukraine as a member while the war is ongoing," and added, "It is premature to demand a vote on (Ukraine's NATO accession)." Biden explained that admitting Ukraine to NATO during the war could lead to NATO directly engaging in war with Russia under the defense treaty. Instead, he added that security guarantees similar to those provided to Israel could be possible.

However, the 31 NATO countries decided to provide substantial support to Ukraine. At the meeting, support programs for the modernization of the Ukrainian military were discussed. Additionally, a 'council' will be launched where NATO and Ukraine, as equal counterparts, will discuss crisis response. The first meeting is scheduled for the 12th. Alongside this, the Group of Seven (G7) also plans to issue a joint statement containing long-term security commitments to Ukraine.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, the 31 NATO countries also called for the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea. In the joint statement, NATO "strongly condemns North Korea's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs, which violate multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions," and "reaffirms that North Korea must completely, verifiably, and irreversibly abandon all WMDs and ballistic missile programs, including nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs." It also called on all relevant parties, including South Korea, the United States, and Japan, to accept dialogue proposals. Regarding China, it pointed out that "it has declared ambitions and coercive policies that challenge our interests, security, and values," and agreed to continue allied cooperation in response.