Ukraine is on an “irreversible” path to NATO, say the US and Europe. But only after the end of the war with Russia

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukraine is on an “irreversible” path to NATO membershipAmerican and European officials said on Wednesday, continuing the allies’ assurances that the country would be allowed to join the Western military coalition after the end of the war with Russia.

In a further boost for Ukraine, the United States, the Netherlands and Denmark announced on Wednesday that the first NATO-provided F-16 fighter jets were on their way to Ukraine and would fly this summer after months of work. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted his appreciation for the efforts to strengthen its air force, shortly after Ukraine one of the deadliest attacks of the war.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Czech President Petr Pavel, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo all used the word “irreversible” to describe Ukraine’s path forward at a NATO leaders’ summit in Washington.

Stubb and Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs both said that such wording had been expected in the final declaration of all 32 NATO allies.

“I think it is very important to send the message to the Kremlin from here that Ukraine’s path and bridge towards NATO membership is now irreversible,” Stubb told reporters.

Selenskyj fears that his country will otherwise have to fight against a stronger Russia indefinitely. fought for at least a firm guarantee from NATO that Ukraine can join the military alliance.

The United States and some other countries opposed Ukraine’s membership during the conflict with Russia to avoid an escalation of tensions that could lead to a larger war. They also stressed that Ukraine needed to take significant steps to combat corruption and undertake other systemic reforms.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has long strongly opposed the neighboring country’s attempt to join the Western alliance, describing it as an interference in Russia’s security and interests.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed that Ukraine will not join the alliance immediately. However, he stressed that this must happen after the end of the war to ensure that Russia never attacks Ukraine again.

“I firmly believe that after the fighting ends, we must ensure that Ukraine has the capabilities to repel future aggression from Russia and that it needs security guarantees,” Stoltenberg said.

President Joe Biden, who later appeared on stage with Stoltenberg, reiterated US support for Ukraine but also stressed the importance of NATO more generally. He reiterated that since he took office, the number of allies spending at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defence has increased from nine to 23 and that the number of battle groups on NATO’s eastern flank has doubled.

“We can and will defend every inch of NATO territory, and we will do it together,” Biden said.

Zelensky, who is in Washington for the NATO summit, stressed in a speech to fellow Republican lawmakers on Tuesday evening that Ukraine urgently needs F-16 fighter jets. He said his country needs more than 100 of them to counter the devastating Russian air strikes on Ukrainian cities, energy infrastructure and other important targets. He said Russia is using 300 jets for the attacks.

In a post on X, Zelensky thanked the three countries “for the practical steps taken to achieve the goal of all Ukrainians: to reinforce the Ukrainian Air Force with F-16s.” The first flight-ready jets were delivered by the Netherlands and Denmark, and the White House said they would be “ready for action” this summer.

Selenskyj also thanked Belgium and Norway for their commitment to send the jets.

Separately, the US and Germany announced on Wednesday that they would begin “episodic deployment” of long-range missiles to Germany in 2026, including Tomahawk, SM-6 and hypersonic missiles.

The announcement is notable because launching some of these missiles from land within Europe would have been prohibited under the previous Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association. The treaty banned the missiles because the conventional missiles could be modified to be nuclear-capable, and deploying them on the European continent would have meant potential targets would not have had time to respond. Kimball said while the deployment is likely to be done to reassure allies, Russia could respond by deploying its own conventional or nuclear weapons.

The European and American allies have further new arms deliveries announcedabout dozens of air defense systems, including Patriots, this week.

Resistance from Republican lawmakers close to former President Donald Trump blocked a US aid package for Ukraine for months earlier this year. This enabled Russia to score successes on the battlefield against Ukrainian forces that were fighting with increasingly fewer weapons and ammunition.

Learning from this setback, the Europeans and NATO have vowed to take more responsibility for ensuring reliable military support to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Trump, campaigning for a second term, rejected claims that he wanted the US to withdraw from NATO, telling Fox News Radio: “I want them to pay their bills.”

___

Cook reported from Brussels. AP reporters Tara Copp, Aamer Madhani and Matthew Lee in Washington and Jill Colvin in New York contributed.