Joe Biden and NATO to Offer Support for Ukraine, Not Membership

Joe Biden is inclined to help Ukraine by all means but does not intend to provide the country with NATO membership.

Let’s read the news and find out what U.S. President said in an interview.

Joe Biden And NATO To Offer Support For Ukraine, Not Membership

In an interview before the United States President departed for his week-long three-nation trip to Europe on Sunday, Joe Biden showed his willingness to help Ukraine but suggested the country cannot be given NATO membership.

Biden said that Ukraine is not ready for membership in NATO, and it is premature to begin the process to allow Ukraine to join the alliance in the middle of a war.

He said, “I think it is premature to call for a vote, you know, because there are other qualifications that need to be met, including democratization and some of those issues.”  The President indicated that Russia’s war in Ukraine must end before NATO can consider Kyiv to become a member.

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Biden said, “I don’t think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war. For example, if you did that, then, you know, and I mean what I say, we are determined to commit every inch of territory that is NATO territory.

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It’s a commitment that we have all made, no matter what. If the war is going on, then we’re all at war. We would be at war with Russia if that were the case.”

At the same time, Biden also vowed to assist Ukraine by all means, providing the security and weaponry they need to end the war with Russia.

The President’s visit to Europe beginning Sunday will include attending a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, and the main focus would be on the U.S. decision to supply Kyiv with weapons banned by most NATO allies.

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Last week, the Biden government decided to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions for the first time to help strengthen Ukraine’s ammunition against Russia.

Biden asserted that he told Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that giving Ukraine the controversial weapon was difficult. Still, he was convinced it was necessary because Ukraine would soon run out of ammunition.

Though Biden noted that a process cannot be initiated to acknowledge Ukraine as a NATO member as of now due to its ongoing war with Russia, the President, and other NATO countries showed support for Ukraine and sought to provide the Ukrainian President a sense of what must be done to gain NATO membership in the future.

Biden said, “I think we have to lay out a rational path for Ukraine to be able to qualify and get into NATO.” The President’s statement in the interview to help Ukraine become a NATO member appeared to ignore Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demands before the war of not admitting Ukraine to NATO because the alliance has an open-door policy.

President Biden’s trip to Europe this week aims to show Americans the importance of constant support for Ukraine as he is running for White House second time in 2024, with some of his Republican rivals in the race voicing doubts about his strategy.