NATO’s Bucharest Summit Declaration clearly stated on April 3, 2008, that Ukraine would become a member of the military alliance that now numbers 30 nations. The exact passage:
“NATO welcomes Ukraine’s and Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations for membership in NATO. We agreed today that these countries will become members of NATO. Both nations have made valuable contributions to alliance operations. We welcome the democratic reforms in Ukraine and Georgia and look forward to free and fair parliamentary elections in Georgia in May. MAP (Membership Action Program) is the next step for Ukraine and Georgia on their direct way to membership. Today we make clear that we support these countries’ applications for MAP. Therefore we will now begin a period of intensive engagement with both at a high political level to address the questions still outstanding pertaining to their MAP applications. We have asked foreign ministers to make a first assessment of progress at their December 2008 meeting. Foreign Ministers have the authority to decide on the MAP applications of Ukraine and Georgia.”
More than 13 years later, of course, Ukraine is not close to NATO membership. In fact, NATO’S 2030 agenda — the plan for the next decade– only says this: “NATO leaders reaffirmed the alliance’s dual-track approach of defense and dialogue towards Russia. They also pledged to continue to support NATO partners Ukraine and Georgia, bringing them closer to the alliance.”
How to close the gap was the topic of a 90-minute webinar featuring Vineta Kleine, director of the NATO Information and Documentation Centre in Ukraine, and these speakers: Kurt Volker, ex-U.S. ambassador to NATO; Glen Grant, a 37-year British army veteran and specialist on Ukrainian defense reform; Andriy Zagorodnyuk, former Ukrainian defense minister; and Olena Halushka, international director of the Anti-Corruption Action Center in Ukraine.
Watch the webinar on the Kyiv Post’s YouTube channel.
See also Illia Ponomarenko’s: 10 facts about Ukraine-NATO relations
See also Illia Ponomarenko’s: Ukraine needs reforms, but NATO’S resolve also necessary
