The North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) foreign ministers convened in Brussels this week to discuss Ukraine’s future with the alliance.
The meeting on April 4 comes well ahead of the annual summit planned in July in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected at this time to press NATO’s national leaders for an update on Kyiv’s application to join the alliance.
The pressure has especially been turned up since Finland was admitted to the alliance. Sweden’s accession is expected soon as well, as The Dallas Express reported. Both countries applied last year after Russia invaded Ukraine, but Turkey had been a vocal opponent to their bids before voting to admit Finland last week.
Since adding Ukraine to the ranks could put NATO at war with Russia, it is unlikely that officials will fast-track its membership bid, per The Wall Street Journal.
Equipped with new weaponry, including tanks and jets, from its allies, Kyiv is planning to launch a massive offensive in the coming weeks, per The Wall Street Journal.
If Ukraine succeeds in pushing back Russian forces, NATO reportedly hopes this will force Russian President Vladimir Putin to engage in peace talks.
In the meantime, NATO officials are deliberating on the type of support and encouragement that they can extend to Ukraine.
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on April 3 during a press conference that foreign ministers will be working on a multiyear program for Ukraine.
“We will discuss how we can step up our support, including by continuing to strengthen Ukraine’s armed forces. And supporting their transition from Soviet-era to NATO equipment and doctrine. Our support is for the long-haul,” Stoltenberg said.
A key point is to prepare Ukraine for when the war ends.
“We do not know when this war will end,” explained Stoltenberg. “But when it does, we will need to put in place arrangements so that Ukraine can deter future aggression [and ensure that] history does not repeat itself.”
The current debate within NATO is whether to offer Kyiv strong promises or to stay vague, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Some NATO members closest geographically to Ukraine and Russia, including Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia, have pushed for strong security commitments and a clear membership path.
Others, including the United States, Germany, and France, have advocated for weaker commitments that focus more on the immediate practical needs of the country. These would include providing Ukraine with weapons, funding, and humanitarian support.
As for Ukraine’s NATO application, they are likely to suggest something along the lines of the comprehensive assistance package prepared for Ukraine in 2016 during the NATO summit in Warsaw.
The program includes various reforms to its security and defense sector, including enacting secure command and control of its armed forces and aligning with NATO’s logistics and standards.
It also seeks to improve Ukraine’s democratic and government institutions by strengthening the role of its parliament and civil society.
Whatever is decided, Moscow has been vocal in its opposition to the expansion of NATO, viewing it as an existential threat.
“You promised us in the 1990s that [NATO] would not move an inch to the East. You cheated us shamelessly,” Putin said at a news conference in December 2021, two months before the invasion of Ukraine.