Blinken: ‘Ukraine will become a member of NATO’

Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed the U.S. commitment for Ukraine to eventually join NATO but held back commitments ahead of the alliance’s annual summit, which will take place in Washington in July. 

“Ukraine will become a member of NATO. Our purpose at the summit is to help build a bridge to that membership,” Blinken told reporters Thursday in Brussels.

NATO allies agreed at the 2023 summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, that Ukraine can join NATO when certain conditions are met, but sparked criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Baltic allies for failing to set concrete goals and a timeline for Kyiv to join the alliance. 

Ukraine’s supporters are crafting ways to demonstrate robust international support for Kyiv that can be announced at NATO’s Washington summit, marking the 75th anniversary of the alliance.

The deliverables are consequential amid concerns over waning U.S. commitment to supporting Ukraine, with House Republicans holding up additional American assistance and fears that the return of former President Trump to the White House could see a retreat of the U.S. from its commitments to allies and partners.