NATO considering 'concrete steps' on Ukraine's accession at Ramstein summit, WP reports
Ukraine may be offered "more concrete steps" regarding its NATO membership during the upcoming Ramstein summit, the Washington Post (WP) reported on Oct. 6, citing an undisclosed diplomat.
Kyiv hopes to secure additional pledges of assistance during the conference on Oct. 12, which will be the last gathering in this format before the U.S. presidential election in early November.
There are concerns that a return of Republican candidate Donald Trump to the White House could spell a reduction of military aid to Ukraine and an obstacle to the country's NATO aspirations.
According to the diplomat quoted by the WP, NATO members are considering a more definitive proposal regarding the accession, but it will likely fall short of what Kyiv has asked for.
Despite a pledge at the NATO summit in Washington that its membership path is "irreversible," Ukraine is yet to receive a definitive invitation.
Kyiv revealed that an alliance membership is a key part of a victory plan President Volodymyr Zelensky pitched to the U.S. leadership in September.
Zelensky will again present the plan, in which Washington identified "a number of productive steps," to the other allies at the Ramstein summit.
During his U.S. trip, the Ukrainian president also lobbied for lifting restrictions on strikes deep inside Russia with Western arms, but no such decision has been made so far. In spite of this, the diplomat told the WP that Kyiv may receive some sort of support during the Ramstein meeting later this month.
Asami Terajima
