During the special event held by the Kyiv Security Forum two former senior NATO officials have said that it is unlikely that Ukraine will become a member of the alliance in 2024.
Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, the former U.S. Ambassador to NATO, said that it is “not feasible” that Ukraine will join the alliance in 2024, but NATO Summit in Washington in 2024 may be an important step in that direction.
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“We don’t believe it’s feasible that Ukraine will a member in next year. What we believe is feasible, and actually it’s a bit of a stretched goal, is to do as the paper suggest, which is to lay out a positive step forward towards that day when Ukraine would be a member. We don’t believe that NATO will be in consensus with regard to membership in July of next year. But we do believe, as the paper lays out, that we can take an important step in that direction,” Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, United States Ambassador to NATO in 2013-2017, stated.
Amb. Alexander Vershbow, the former NATO Deputy Secretary General, said that he hopes Ukraine will become a member of NATO in 2024, but that it is possible that membership will not happen until later.
“When the day comes, and I hope it’s in 2024, but it may not be 2024, that Ukraine becomes a member,” Amb. Alexander Vershbow, NATO Deputy Secretary General in 2012-2016, United States Ambassador to NATO in 1998-2001, said.
Both Lute and Vershbow emphasized that NATO will need to reach a consensus on Ukraine’s membership, and that it is unlikely that this will happen in the next year. However, they also said that NATO is committed to helping Ukraine prepare for membership, and that they believe it is possible for Ukraine to join the alliance in the near future.
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