“We are determined to [protect] “Every inch of NATO territory,” Biden said, suggesting that if Ukraine were part of NATO, it would put the alliance at war with Russia.
Biden added that it was “premature” to call for a vote on Ukraine’s membership because the country must still meet some NATO qualifications. Biden said he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke at length about the issue of membership, and they said the two should work out a “rational path…for Ukraine to be able to qualify.”
However, Biden said the United States remains committed to providing the war-torn country the security assistance it needs to continue to stand up to Russia.
Like Biden, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said talk of Ukraine membership was “premature.” McCall told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday that Ukraine must win the counteroffensive against Russia and secure a cease-fire and negotiate a peace settlement before joining NATO.
We cannot accept Ukraine’s accession to NATO right away; “This would put us at war with Russia under Article 5 of the United Nations,” McCall said.
Senator Christopher A. Coons (D-D) told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” that the war “must end with a victory for Ukraine,” and that Ukraine should also join the European Union, which includes “improving their transparency, the rule of law, their society.” civilian, which lays the foundation for future NATO membership.”
The comments about Ukraine’s application for NATO membership come days after Biden agreed to send US cluster munitions to Ukraine. The weapons have been controversial because they explode in the air over a target, firing dozens to hundreds of submunitions across a wide area. More than 120 countries have it Join a conference Their use was banned as inhumane and indiscriminate, in part because unexploded submunitions litter the landscape and endanger both troops and civilians.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday that Ukraine had agreed not to use these powerful munitions on Russian soil. It would only use such weapons on its own territory, as he said Kiev had “the greatest incentive to limit the impact on civilians, because it is Ukrainian citizens who will be at risk”. Sullivan said Ukraine also agreed not to use the munitions in populated areas.
Inviting Ukraine to join NATO “is all a matter of political will,” Zelensky said, in an interview broadcast Sunday on ABC. Meanwhile, Zelensky said that Ukraine “must obtain clear security guarantees” from NATO members in efforts against Russia.
“It would be an important message to say that NATO is not afraid of Russia,” he said.
Zelensky said he will attend the summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, this week, to do everything he can to “accelerate this solution to an agreement with our partners.”
He said: “I don’t want to go to Vilnius for fun.”
John Kirby, a spokesman for the US National Security Council, said on ABC’s “This Week” that strong commitments to Ukraine will be made during the upcoming summit.
“You’ll see allies remain really united in supporting Ukraine in this fight against Russia on their soil,” Kirby said. “You will also see from all the Allies a coordinated and unified approach to making it clear that NATO will ultimately be in Ukraine’s future, and that between the time the war ends and that it happens, the Allies will continue to help Ukraine defend itself.”
While Biden remained skeptical about Ukraine’s accession to the alliance in the near future, he told CNN he was optimistic Sweden, which is also fighting for membership, would soon become a member of NATO. Expanding membership to a new country requires the approval of all NATO allies, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban have indicated objections to adding Sweden.
“Sweden has the same value that we have in NATO, [is] Biden said, echoing other comments he made in the run-up to the summit. “I think they should be members of NATO.”
Turkey has criticized Sweden for refusing to hand over individuals it considers terrorists, including members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and a movement accused of trying to overthrow the Turkish government in 2016. Turkey has also complained about anti-Erdogan protests in 2016 in Sweden and demonstrations in which Qurans were burned.
Meanwhile, officials in Hungary cited a variety of reasons for their country’s refusal to ratify Sweden’s accession, from what a government spokesperson said was Stockholm’s desire to “crush Hungary” to their Scandinavian country’s “collapsing throne of moral superiority”.
Biden, in an interview with CNN, responded to Turkey’s criticism by saying, “It’s not the Swedes who burn the Qur’an. It’s immigrants who burn the Qur’an.”
The White House said that Biden and Erdogan spoke on Sunday about Sweden’s bid for NATO membership and that Biden “conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden to NATO as soon as possible.” Erdogan told Biden that Sweden had taken “the right steps” to assuage Turkey’s concerns by passing anti-terror policies — but those policies were nullified by the PKK’s protests, according to Turkey. State news agency.
Nitasha Teko contributed to this report.
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