NATO will hold a summit of Foreign Ministers in the Romanian capital Bucharest on Nov 29-30, with Russia’s war on Ukraine topping the agenda.
According to preliminary reports, NATO and its Allies will unveil a new aid package that includes air defense systems, while also helping restore the country’s energy infrastructure systematically destroyed by Russian missile attacks.
In particular, U.S. Secretary Anthony Blinken is expected to provide details on a White House aid package described as “substantial”.
Other issues to be discussed include the alliance’s approach to China as well as other countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Ukraine’s expedited membership bid filed in September may also be briefly touched upon, but little suggests that NATO is ready to give any positive signals to Kyiv. Especially since multiple reports suggest that Volodymr Zelensky’s administration had not agreed on the move with allies before submitting a membership application at the end of September.
During the last meeting in Madrid in June, NATO leaders meeting in Madrid adopted a strategic blueprint labeling Russia as “the most significant and direct threat to allies’ security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area.”
During the NATO summit in Bucharest in 2008, Ukraine failed to get a Membership Action Plan, with Germany and France blocking the decision. Instead, the allies issued a promise that Ukraine will definitely become a NATO member state without giving any timeframe.
