Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he has “no doubt” that Ukraine will join NATO after the conflict with Russia ends.
(Bloomberg) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he has “no doubt” that Ukraine will join NATO after the conflict with Russia ends.
Austin told CNN that the alliance’s members want to move quickly on Ukraine’s proposed membership after the conflict, provided that it meets conditions such as improving its military equipment and training, and passing judicial and other reforms. Ukraine’s membership was a main topic of discussions at a NATO leader’s summit this week in Vilnius, Lithuania, where President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made a new push to join.
“I have no doubt that that will happen,” Austin said in the interview from Vilnius. “And we heard just about every — all the countries in the room say as much, and I think that was reassuring to President Zelenskiy.”
On Tuesday, Zelenskiy criticized a joint statement from NATO leaders about Ukraine’s request for membership, saying its lack of specifics was “unprecedented and absurd.” President Joe Biden and others at the summit repeatedly noted their support for Ukraine in the war and its eventual accession.
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