NATO will inform Ukraine that its corruption bars it from joining the alliance, a significant setback for President Volodymyr Zelensky. A senior U.S. State Department official says NATO will request additional anti-corruption measures before progressing with membership discussions in a written communique at the alliance’s annual summit on July 9.
The official emphasized the need for further progress in tackling corruption, a priority for many NATO members. Zelensky wants rapid NATO accession to ensure protection from future invasions, as NATO is obliged to go to war collectively if any individual alliance member is attacked.
The U.S. has reportedly blocked efforts by British and European Union officials to establish a definitive path for Ukraine’s NATO accession. Since the Soviet Union’s collapse, corruption has plagued the Eastern European country, especially within its military. Joe Biden highlighted “significant corruption” in Ukraine during an interview with Time magazine this year.
Zelensky, who will attend the summit in Washington, may receive a promise of a “well-lit bridge” to NATO membership, a term favored by the U.S. NATO members remain divided on whether to make their offer to Kiev “irreversible.”
Nearly 20 countries have signed bilateral security agreements with Ukraine, and they will celebrate these agreements at the summit despite the lack of a clear NATO promise.
