The presidents of nine Eastern and Central European countries declared their support for a pathway to NATO membership for Ukraine just days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky requested rapid acceptance into the alliance.
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The presidents of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia all signed on to the statement, which was published on Sunday. They said they “firmly stand behind” NATO’s decision in 2008 that Ukraine would ultimately become a member even though that has stalled in the years since.
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“We firmly stand behind the 2008 Bucharest NATO Summit decision concerning Ukraine’s future membership,” they said.
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg left the possibility open that Ukraine could join NATO, though White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Friday that it “should be taken up at a different time” because “our view is that the best way for us to support Ukraine is through practical on-the-ground support in Ukraine.”
The European presidents “reiterate[d] our support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. We do not recognize and will never recognize Russian attempts to annex any Ukrainian territory,” they said. “We support Ukraine in its defence against Russia’s invasion, demand Russia to immediately withdraw from all the occupied territories and encourage all Allies to substantially increase their military aid to Ukraine.”
Over the last two weeks, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a call up of roughly 300,000 reserve forces to bolster its depleted forces while the Kremlin also recognized the annexation of four occupied regions in Ukraine despite widespread condemnation from leaders across the world. In doing so, he also reiterated his threat to use his nuclear arsenal, which has also further raised concerns regarding the war.
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Following Putin’s event recognizing the annexation last Friday, the Biden administration announced additional sanctions against top Russian officials and their family members in the latest of multiple sanction announcements. The administration had remained vague prior to announcing the new sanctions, though press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre warned of “swift and severe economic costs,” and it is doing the same about a response to the use of a nuclear weapon in Ukraine.
