London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, May 11, 2025

US opposes offering Ukraine a path to NATO membership at upcoming summit, says focus should be on defeating 'Russian aggression'

US opposes offering Ukraine a path to NATO membership at upcoming summit, says focus should be on defeating 'Russian aggression'

US diplomats believe that extending NATO membership to Ukraine now would be a boon to Russian propaganda, the Financial Times reported.
The United States does not support offering Ukraine a "road map" to NATO membership, believing it would be a distraction from immediate security needs and a boon to the Russian propaganda machine, the Financial Times reported Thursday, citing officials familiar with talks taking place ahead of the military alliance's July summit.

On Tuesday, NATO formally welcomed its newest member, Finland. Speaking at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's foreign minister, said his country was "aiming at reaching the same goal, becoming a full member of NATO."

Leaders from Poland and Estonia are among those who would like Ukraine to join the alliance sooner rather than later, according to officials who spoke with the Financial Times.

In 2008, NATO "welcomed" Ukraine's "aspirations for membership" but has not made progress on the issue since, in large part due to the active military conflict in the country since 2014.

Ultimately allowing Ukraine to join NATO remains US policy. But the Biden administration's stance is that now is not the time.

"In order for us to get to the question of when and how to get Ukraine into the alliance, we must, as the secretary-general has noted, 'ensure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign, independent nation,'" a US official told the Financial Times.

The US is also concerned that raising the prospect of NATO membership, now, would aid the Kremlin narrative that it is engaged in a war against the alliance and potentially escalate the conflict, the outlet reported.

A spokesperson for the State Department told Insider that the US is focused right now "on doing what needs to be done to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression." It also remains committed, the spokesperson said, to allowing Ukraine to someday join NATO.

"There's no change in that, but we have to be in this moment focused intensely on the weeks and months ahead, particularly as Ukraine prepares for a counteroffensive, again, to try to retake more of its territory, as well as work that needs to be done to continue to bring Ukraine up to NATO standards and NATO interoperability," the spokesperson said.

A White House spokesperson, speaking to Insider, declined to confirm the Financial Times report. But at a press briefing Thursday afternoon, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre — asked about the US position on Ukraine joining NATO — affirmed that, while the Biden administration supports making membership available to any country that wishes to join, for now "we're focusing on making sure that the Ukrainian people have what they need to fight for their freedom."

NATO members are set to gather July 11 and 12 in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.

Gabrielius Landsbergis, the foreign minister of Lithuania, told Politico earlier this week that he believes it's important to show Ukraine that the alliance is taking concrete steps to address the country's aspirations.

"We need to show to Ukraine that their application is being taken seriously and they are making steps towards NATO, which at the end will end up with their full membership," he said.
Comments

Oh ya 2 year ago
Good call by someone as we know letting them join NATO would likely start WWIII and as we know the USA has not won a war since WWII. KOREAN WAR lost Vietnam war lost. Desert wars lost. And if you think the USA could somehow beat a real army unlike a few guys in the jungle or dessert with AK47s you need mental health help. The USA gave up the other day on their hyper sonic missile program because they can not get it to work. Russia has a very good system and every aircraft carrier in the US fleet could be sunk within a hour and America has nothing to shoot them down.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump's Upcoming Visit to Gulf Nations: Investment and Security at the Forefront
Rodrigo Duterte Awaits Trial at The Hague. Next week he might be elected mayor of his hometown
Trump fires director of U.S. Copyright Office, sources say
Retired British police officer arrested over ‘thought crime’ tweet
Cardinal Robert Prevost Elected as Pope Leo XIV, Marking a Historic Papacy
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Arrested at ICE Facility Amid Congressional Visit
India-Pakistan conflict may be first test for Chinese military tech
Bill Gates Announces Plan to Wind Down Philanthropic Foundation and Disperse Wealth
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
Huge Copper, Gold, and Silver Discovery in Argentina and Chile — But the Profits Go Abroad
Prince Harry is pleading for reconciliation — but the royals are just as sick of his victimhood as everyone else
The Road to Freedom: She Protested Putin, Escaped House Arrest, and Survived a 2,800-Kilometer Journey
OpenAI's Flip-Flop: No Longer Going Commercial, Back to Nonprofit, After Musk Lawsuit and Backlash
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
First From China: Zhao Xintong Wins the Snooker World Championship
Nvidia Faces Billion-Dollar Losses – Warns: China Is on Its Way to Becoming an AI Superpower
Trump Rules Out Third Term, Names JD Vance and Marco Rubio as Potential Successors
Mexico Says ‘No’ to U.S. Troops: President Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Offer to Fight Cartels
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Storms the Map, Wrecking the Two-Party Monopoly
DOGE: Reimagining Government Operations with AI
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
U.K. Court Rejects Prince Harry’s Final Appeal Over Police Security
Prince Harry’s Heartfelt Outburst Rocks the Royal Family
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Transgender Swimmer Secures Five Gold Medals at U.S. Masters Championship
Prince Harry: “I Want Reconciliation with My Family”
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Reform UK Surprises in British Elections, Challenging Traditional Two-Party System
180-Year-Old Christian University in South Carolina Announces Closure Due to Unmet $6 Million Fundraising Goal
Brazilian Woman Jailed for Fourteen Years for Writing “You Lost, Idiot” on Statue During Protest
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
Dutch Politician Eva Vlaardingerbroek Receives Spyware Threat Alert from Apple
Paramount Board Considers Settlement in Trump’s $20 Billion Lawsuit Over "60 Minutes" Interview
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
Deadline Looms for RTS Meter Replacement: Hundreds of Thousands at Risk of Heating Disruption
Sweden Grapples with Deadly Gun Violence: Suspect Arrested After Three Young Men Killed in Uppsala Hair Salon
Walz Reveals Why Harris Chose Him as Her Running Mate and Reflects on Democratic Losses
Spain Restores Power After Unprecedented Nationwide Blackout
Carney Secures Liberal Mandate in Canada’s Federal Election
Death Penalty Sought as Luigi Manion Pleads Not Guilty in CEO Murder Case
President Trump contacts Jeff Bezos after reports of Amazon considering listing tariff surcharges; company clarifies no such plan for main platform
Spain and Portugal Recover from Massive Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
Singapore Politicians Warn Against Foreign Interference in Election
Driver Ploughs into Vancouver Festival Crowd, Killing Nine
×