United States President Joe Biden said during an interview aired on Sunday that it was too early for Ukraine to join the NATO military alliance, arguing that its war with Russia must end before such proceedings can take place.
The Democratic leader said that he believes there is unanimity within NATO regarding whether or not to bring Ukraine into the group right now. He noted that the process can only progress after reaching a peace agreement with Moscow.
Ukraine's Potential NATO Membership
Biden said that if the war between Russia and Ukraine is going on, then it means that they are all at war. His remarks referred to NATO's commitment to mutual defense for its members. The American leader added that there would be other qualifications that Ukraine needs to meet, which includes democratization.
The US president's remarks came as he began his trip to Europe on Sunday, including attending a NATO summit in Lithuania. The summit will likely have Russia's war with Ukraine, and a decision last week to supply Kyiv with cluster munitions will be priority topics, as per the New York Times.
During the interview, Biden added that he had warned Chinese President Xi Jinping about the latter's growing relationship with Russia. He also said that after Xi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he reminded the former that various American corporations had already pulled out of Russia since the beginning of the war.
Biden said that Xi did not argue any of the points that he made during their conversation, highlighting that the Chinese president has not gone "full-bore" on Russia. The American president also defended his decision to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine, which are outlawed by many of the US's closest allies.
The Democrat said that while it was a difficult decision, the fact that Ukraine had dwindling artillery supplies forced a choice between supplying the armaments or leaving Kyiv defenseless.
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Ukraine Accession 'Too Premature'
Biden's remarks regarding Ukraine's NATO potential come as he had previously talked with President Volodymyr Zelensky about the prospect. According to the Washington Post, he said that the two leaders have to lay out a "rational path" so that Kyiv can qualify for the alliance's membership.
On the other hand, the House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, Rep. Michael McCaul, said that talk of Ukraine's NATO membership was "too premature." He said during an interview on Sunday that Kyiv first has to win the counteroffensive against Mocow, secure a cease-fire, and negotiate a peace settlement before it should be allowed to join the military alliance, echoing what Biden said.
Despite calls by some NATO members to work on Ukraine's membership with the alliance, Germany has also taken a "conservative" stance. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his country did not support a swift Ukrainian accession to NATO.
He noted that we need to look at the current situation very carefully, adding that they should focus on the top priority during the summit in Vilnius, which he said was strengthening Kyiv's combat power, said the Financial Times.
