Kyiv should not expect much progress on its efforts to join NATO during the July summit in Washington, DC, U.K. Ambassador to NATO David Quarrey said in a comment to Politico published on Feb. 8.
Ukraine did not receive the much-desired invitation nor firm deadline to join the alliance at last year's summit in Vilnius, even though NATO took steps to tighten cooperation.
Ukrainian officials have voiced hope that the Washington meeting, scheduled for July 9-11, will bring a more definite signal.
"I don't expect a big leap forward on that mainly because of the likely situation on the ground," Quarrey told Politico, adding that London is "absolutely convinced that Ukraine's rightful place is in NATO."
"It's a question of when, not if, and our job here is to continue supporting Ukraine as it comes ever closer to the alliance," the ambassador noted.
In comparison to July 2023, Ukraine faces new challenges as its counteroffensive last summer and autumn did not bring the desired result, and military aid from the U.S., the chief defense donor, remains stalled by political disputes in Congress.
Quarrey, whose country presented a military aid package of 2.5 billion pounds ($3.15 billion) only last month, said he hopes to see the $60 billion tranche from the U.S. passed "as quickly as possible."
Asami Terajima
