NATO to ‘stand behind’ Ukraine at summit; Stoltenberg mandate extended

SpaceWar.com reports: “NATO is nearing consensus on how to address Ukraine’s membership push at its upcoming summit, and aims to show it is moving ‘above and beyond’ an earlier vow to Kyiv, the US NATO envoy said Thursday.

Kyiv — backed by NATO allies in eastern Europe — has called for a commitment at the gathering in Lithuania in two weeks that it will join the Western military alliance when Russia’s war ends.

Diplomats at NATO say the US has been reluctant to move beyond a 2008 pledge made in Bucharest that promised Ukraine would become a member, but did not set any timeline.

NATO’s 31 countries are currently haggling over the exact wording on Ukraine’s potential membership for a final summit communique.

US ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said the final version could begin to answer how Ukraine will eventually become an alliance member…”

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