The United States is poised to deliver some bad news to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, asserting that Ukraine is too mired in corruption [1] to join NATO, dealing a substantial setback to the nation’s ambitions for bolstered security.
BREAKING:
🇺🇦 Ukraine will be told it is currently too corrupt to join NATO, in a major blow to Volodymyr Zelensky.
— Telegraph pic.twitter.com/pQT50PKqcS [2]
— Megatron (@Megatron_ron) July 3, 2024 [3]
As the alliance prepares for its annual summit in Washington DC next week, a senior US official revealed to the Telegraph that NATO will urge Ukraine to address “additional steps before formal membership talks progress.”
🇺🇸🇺🇦 “Ahead of the NATO summit next week, we will take steps to build a bridge that would lead Ukraine to NATO membership”, – Lloyd Austin. pic.twitter.com/ZmYLGSs9eJ [4]
— MAKS 24 🇺🇦👀 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) July 3, 2024 [5]
Zelensky has been fervently advocating for NATO membership, emphasizing his nation’s need for protection against future Russian aggression. NATO’s collective defense principle obliges member states to come to the military aid of allies under attack.
However, the issue of corruption has emerged as a significant impediment, hindering the advancement of relations between Ukraine and the West. Despite Ukraine’s formal application for EU ascension in 2022, the EU Commission underscored the persistent challenge of corruption, despite Ukraine’s pronounced efforts to combat it since the 2014 Revolution of Dignity.
In response, Zelensky has allegedly demonstrated a proactive approach to confronting corruption, particularly within the military. Following the earlier removal of his top defense minister, he dismissed all six deputy defense ministers without explanation.
Acknowledging Ukraine’s reform efforts, a US State Department official commended the country’s strides in implementing reforms over the past few years. Emphasizing the importance of continuing reforms, particularly in the realm of anti-corruption, the official stressed the shared priority among stakeholders.
NATO has presented Ukraine with a catalog of requisite reforms to fulfill for membership qualification, with officials affirming that Zelensky is actively addressing the demands. One insider described NATO’s unpublicized support as an instrumental aid to Ukraine’s progress towards membership.
Meanwhile, the United States is set to spend another $2.3 billion in American taxpayer dollars [6] for a weapons package for the corrupt country.