As President Joe Biden enters the second day of the NATO meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania, with questions about Ukraine’s approach to cooperation in the alliance, there is also a difference in the fog between the Ukrainian president and NATO leaders, who are concerned about the whole picture.
Ukraine was patient in the negotiation process as the US president tried to unite the group behind President Vladimir Zelensky in the face of Russian aggression. Even though the communique from the last meeting has removed any barriers to participation, the Ukrainian president may still see signs of greater recognition from his allies.
When US officials announced after the meeting that Ukraine would not join as a NATO member, the group suggested a few simple steps or timelines to clarify support for the warring country.
, who came to Lithuania on Tuesday for a meeting and tete-a-tete with Biden,
is a sign of unity that can be influenced by Zelensky’s co-written antisemitism rhetoric.
Ukraine’s president said he “received signs that some languages are being discussed without Ukraine”, adding that “this language is not about the members of Ukraine, but about the invitation to NATO membership.”
Tuesday’s final announcement is unlikely to give Zelensky the answers he wanted.
While the Allies agreed to abandon the Membership Plan, one of the conditions for Ukraine’s accession to the bloc, it did not give a precise timetable for when Ukraine would become a full member, given Kiev’s relations with NATO countries.