‘Ukraine’s future is in NATO and its path is irreversible’ - NATO leaders jointly affirm

Thursday, July 11, 2024 - Leaders of the world's biggest military alliance, NATO, jointly affirmed that “Ukraine’s future is in NATO” and its path is “irreversible,” as they pledged long-term support for Kyiv.

The leaders who did not provide a specific timeline for Ukraine to join NATO said they would “be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the Alliance when Allies agree, and conditions are met.”

“We welcome the concrete progress Ukraine has made since the Vilnius Summit on its required democratic, economic, and security reforms,” the leaders said in the Washington Summit Declaration, released after a meeting of NATO’s North Atlantic Council on Wednesday, July 10.

“As Ukraine continues this vital work, we will continue to support it on its irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership,” the declaration said.

The declaration outlined NATO's ongoing support for Kyiv, including previous announcements on new air defence systems and the establishment of the “NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) to coordinate the provision of military equipment and training for Ukraine by Allies and partners.”

The description of Ukraine’s path as “irreversible” comes after months of diplomatic negotiations in the lead-up to the Washington Summit.

Prior to the release of the declaration, some diplomats had argued that it was not enough to just describe the path as “irreversible,” but that there must be strong support undergirding that description.

The aim of the NSATU “is to place security assistance to Ukraine on an enduring footing, ensuring enhanced, predictable, and coherent support,” the declaration said, noting that it “will not, under international law, make NATO a party to the conflict.”

“It will support the transformation of Ukraine’s defence and security forces, enabling its further integration with NATO,” the declaration said.

The leaders also announced “a pledge of long-term support” to Ukraine, with the intention “to provide a minimum baseline funding of €40 billion within the next year, and to provide sustainable levels of security assistance for Ukraine to prevail.”

The declaration also expressed “profound concern” over the “deepening strategic partnership” between China and Russia “and their mutually reinforcing attempts to undercut and reshape the rules-based international order.”

The declaration calls Beijing “a decisive enabler of Russia’s war against Ukraine through its so-called ‘no limits’ partnership and its large-scale support for Russia’s defence industrial base,” and calls on China, “as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council with a particular responsibility to uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, to cease all material and political support to Russia’s war effort.”