Major obstacles on Ukraine's path to NATO membership.
President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted that Ukraine join NATO as soon as possible. But to realize these aspirations, Kyiv must first implement additional reforms.
According to RT on July 4th, the German magazine Focus suggests that Ukraine will have to implement additional reforms before it can be accepted into NATO.
A major problem for this Eastern European nation upon joining the Western military alliance is, first and foremost, rampant corruption. A senior US State Department official said that, in this regard, Ukraine will have to take “additional steps” now.
Focus argues that, despite significant reforms made in Ukraine in recent years, NATO recognizes the need for further action, particularly in the fight against corruption within the alliance's framework. A document confirming this unified position is expected to be released shortly after NATO's annual summit on July 9th.
According to Focus, Ukrainian President Zelensky is determined to join NATO as soon as possible “to protect the country from future attacks.” Such membership would mean that the US and Europe would be obligated to defend Ukraine in the event of a Russian attack. However, one obstacle to membership negotiations is the ongoing corruption in Ukraine.
In an interview with Time magazine, US President Joe Biden spoke about “serious corruption” in Ukraine and ruled out the possibility of supporting Ukraine’s accession.
NATO diplomats and officials have given Ukraine a list of reforms it needs to implement before it can realize its ambition of becoming a NATO member.
To date, several Western countries have signed bilateral security agreements with Ukraine.
Meanwhile, on July 3, Politico (USA) also published an open letter from American scientists and analysts to NATO, urging them to reject Ukraine's accession to the alliance at the July summit in Washington.
"Ukraine's approach to membership in the coalition can only make things worse, turning it into a territory witnessing a prolonged confrontation between the world's two leading nuclear powers," – excerpt from the open letter.
According to Politico, 61 people have now signed the open letter to NATO.
