On Monday, President Biden said Ukraine has to “clean up corruption” before the country can become a full member of NATO.
“It depends on whether they meet the criteria. The fact is they still have to clean up corruption. The fact is they have to meet other criteria to get into the Action Plan. And so, it’s — you know, school is out on that question. It remains to be seen,” Biden said at a press conference in Brussels when asked about Ukraine’s potential membership.
Biden’s comments came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested that NATO leaders decided during today’s summit that Ukraine could join the alliance. “NATO leaders confirmed that [Ukraine] will become a member of the Alliance & the #MAP is an integral part of the membership process,” Zelensky wrote on Twitter.
“MAP” refers to the Member Action Plan, which is a formalized process that aspiring NATO members must go through before officially joining the alliance. In 2008, Ukraine applied for MAP. NATO chose not to allow Ukraine to join at the time, but NATO officials agreed Kyiv could eventually become a member.
Ukraine’s plans to join NATO were shelved when Viktor Yanukovych became president in 2010. But since Yanukovych was ousted by a US-backed coup in 2014, Ukraine has moved much closer to NATO’s orbit. The idea that Ukraine will eventually join NATO is now the status quo, which is what NATO officials confirmed on Monday.
“We reiterate the decision made at the 2008 Bucharest Summit that Ukraine will become a member of the alliance with the Membership Action Plan,” NATO leaders said in a statement.
Regardless of NATO’s apparent hesitation, Zelensky is still pushing hard for membership. Discussing the NATO summit on Monday, Zelensky said he wanted a clearer stance from Biden. “If we are talking about NATO and the MAP, I would really like to get [from Biden] specifics — yes or no,” he said.
Playing off the anti-Russia hysteria in the US, Zelensky told CBS News that Americans should care about Ukraine’s situation because a war with Russia could come to North America. “It can be tomorrow in their houses,” he said.
While Biden might be hesitant to allow Ukraine to join NATO, his administration continues to support Kyiv militarily. Last week, the Pentagon announced an additional $150 million in military aid for Ukraine, which adds to the $125 million that was released earlier this year.
Biden claims he cares about corruption in Kyiv, but it’s important to note that his family participated in one of the most brazen acts of political corruption in Ukraine. A few months after the Obama administration orchestrated the 2014 coup, Biden’s son Hunter landed a high-paying job on the board of Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian natural gas company.
Where goes one goes all, the qanon motto and the jist of NATO’s article 5 which Biden has just emphasized our absolute commitment to. And the corrupt regime of nazis we installed to follow will get us a pointless war with Russia. Situation normal,….
Thanks to Barak Obama, Hillary Clinton & Dishonorable mention to Victoria Nuland the front woman of the Ukraine Coup, Paid For by The National Endowment for Democacy’s coup fund to unseat elected leaders.
I don’t think there will be any war with Russia approved by Europeans who would host the awesome force of the Russian retaliation of big megaton devices reigning down on their cities, if push really came to shove. Good Bye, London, Paris and Rome for starters, or maybe it would be Lisbon Madrid and Brussels. Enie Meanie Mighty Mo. All the continent’s bound to go.
Playing off the anti-Russia hysteria in the US, Zelensky told CBS News that Americans should care about Ukraine’s situation because a war with Russia could come to North America. “It can be tomorrow in their houses,” he said.
Is this idiot trying to convince people that Ukraine joining NATO will lessen the chance of the subsequent war coming to “their houses”?
Ukraine wants more opportunities for corruption.
Exactly … the only way Russia would commit national suicide by committing to war against the US would be if its vital interests were unacceptably threatened, for which Ukraine is a perfect candidate. You literally cannot think of a better reason why Ukraine should NOT be allowed anywhere near NATO.
Ukraine must do a lot more than clean up corruption in order to join NATO. In fact, corruption is more of a joining the EU issue.
For NATO, the outstanding border conflict must be resolved. NATO is defensive, not an organization to attack in support of a new ally. It must act with unanimity, and there are many in NATO that just won’t sign on for instant NATO war against Russia. Nor should they.
Can anyone top Biden’s hypocrisy in this venue..???? Unlikely and unfortunately!