Ukraine Not Ready for NATO Membership, Says Biden as He Embarks on Europe Trip – News18

Ukraine is not ready for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), US President Joe Biden spelled out in clear terms as he embarked on his week-long trip to Europe on Sunday. In an exclusive interview with CNN, Biden said he feels there is a lack of consensus among NATO members on whether or not to bring Ukraine into the alliance now.

“I don’t think it’s ready for membership in NATO,” he said. He said joining NATO requires countries to “meet all the qualifications, from democratization to a whole range of other issues.”

“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,” Biden said. “For example, if you did that, then, you know – and I mean what I say – we’re determined to commit every inch of territory that is NATO territory. It’s a commitment that we’ve all made no matter what. If the war is going on, then we’re all in war. We’re at war with Russia, if that were the case.”

The ongoing war in Ukraine poses challenges to NATO’s unity as leaders gather for their annual summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. The world’s largest security alliance struggles to agree on admitting Sweden as the 32nd member. Member nations’ military spending falls short of goals, and the selection of NATO’s next leader remains unresolved.

The question of integrating Ukraine into NATO raises debates, with some advocating it as a deterrent against Russian aggression, while others caution against provocation and escalating tensions.

In the CNN interview, Biden said that he’s spoken to President Volodymyr Zelensky at length about the issue, saying that he’s told him that the US would keep providing security and weaponry for Ukraine. “I think we have to lay out a rational path for Ukraine to be able to qualify to be able to get into NATO,” Biden said.

This latest Biden interview comes after the White House on Friday announced that the United States would be providing Ukraine with cluster munitions for the first time. This decision aims to support Ukraine’s ammunition supplies as it engages in a counteroffensive against Russia.

Biden described the move as a “difficult decision” but emphasized its necessity due to Ukraine’s depleting ammunition reserves.