Washington will address Ukraine's possible entry into NATO "if and when it arrives at that point," Vice President Kamala Harris said regarding her future policies if elected president in an interview aired on Oct. 7.
Speaking on the 60 Minutes program, the Democratic candidate for the upcoming November election pledged continued support for Ukraine against Russian aggression.
"Right now, we are defending Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russian unprovoked aggression," Harris said, suggesting that Russia would already be in Kyiv if her Republican challenger, Donald Trump, were the president.
Olena Goncharova
Ukraine applied for NATO membership in September 2022 but has yet to receive a formal invitation as the major players like the U.S. and Germany have been reluctant to fully back the step.
Despite high expectations in Kyiv, the last two allied summits brought only new steps toward deepening Ukraine-NATO cooperation and a declaration that the country's membership path is "irreversible."
The Wall Street Journal reported that the allies might offer more "concrete steps" on Ukraine's accession at the upcoming Ramstein summit on Oct. 12, which will nevertheless fall short of what Kyiv has asked for.
While the Biden administration has been hesitant on the matter of Ukraine's membership, people close to Trump have spoken more openly against it.
The Republican candidate's running mate, JD Vance, said that Trump's peace plan could involve Kyiv giving up on its NATO aspirations and creating a "demilitarized zone" between Ukraine and Russia.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico also recently said he would block Ukraine's membership. The accession would require a unanimous agreement of all the 32 members.
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