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Ukraine will not advance further towards NATO membership at this year’s annual summit, The Telegraph reported on May 28, due to concerns that the alliance could be drawn into a war with Russia.
Germany and the United States have been vocal in their opposition to offering Kyiv a definitive timeframe, as preparations continue for the two-day gathering in Washington, marking the organization’s 75th anniversary.
"They’re very sceptical about bringing Ukraine any further along the path to full Nato membership this year," a source familiar with the Biden administration’s thinking told The Telegraph. "The US is perhaps not as concerned as Germany, but there is a worry about the threat of Russia to the rest of the alliance," the source reportedly added.
The decision is anticipated to frustrate President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has been cautioned by counterparts not to demand the "impossible" from the alliance. Russia is currently making gains along the front line, with a further offensive expected in the summer months.
Last year, Zelensky labeled NATO as "absurd" when its leaders declined to extend an invitation to Kyiv for full-fledged membership at the meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania.
NATO’s top officials engaged in "expectation management" following the summit, according to alliance sources, after it was determined that members supportive of Ukraine’s accession, including Britain, had exerted excessive pressure regarding the decision.
Concerns have been raised that the issue of Ukraine’s membership dominated last year’s summit and created rifts among member states.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
