Ukraine to Receive Security Package Proposal at NATO Summit
At the July summit in Washington, it is expected that NATO will propose a security package to Ukraine, which will «serve as a bridge» to membership in the Alliance. This was reported by the US Ambassador to NATO, Julianne Smith, during a roundtable of the Defense Writers Group, as quoted by DefenseNews.
«As part of this package, there will be language describing Ukraine’s desire for membership in the very declaration. Part of this will be the institutionalization of certain bilateral support that is currently being provided to Ukraine, and its transfer under NATO command,» Smith said.
The politician noted that the July summit in honor of the 75th anniversary of NATO will also focus on regional defense and deterrence plans for northern, central, and southern Europe.
She emphasized that this will mean a significant change in the Alliance in how countries invest, procure, cooperate on the implementation and execution of these regional plans.
The summit will also focus on defense spending distribution, and Smith expects that over 20 countries will spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense — a goal set by NATO.
On May 17, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine has done «everything possible today» to join the European Union and NATO — only «politics» remains.
On May 27, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced that at the summit in Washington, which will take place from July 9-11, a permanent structure will be established to organize arms supplies to Ukraine and their financing.
