Consensus grows within NATO that Ukraine should join without Membership Action Plan

More and more member states of the North Atlantic Alliance support simplified accession for Ukraine, which would involve the Membership Action Plan (MAP) being waived, and this decision may be approved at the NATO summit in Vilnius. Source: European Pravda, citing the media outlet Politico According to Politico's sources, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has privately suggested that the allies should agree to Ukraine joining the alliance after the end of the full-scale war without following the MAP.

The signal for this was apparently US President Joe Biden's willingness to support such a move, which has previously been reported in the media.

"If it's what America really, really, really wants, they can usually get it over the line," said an official from a NATO country. Another NATO official noted that "there seems to be landing space" within the alliance for the proposal. A diplomat from Northern Europe, meanwhile, stressed that removing the MAP "might be" one of several components of a political package offered to Ukraine at Vilnius, along with "likely bilateral security assurances".

But "some Southern European countries" fear that removing the MAP barrier would further anger Russia, potentially escalate the war and make rebuilding ties with Moscow after the war more difficult.

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There's also the problem of Hungary and Turkey, which are "uncomfortable" with bringing Ukraine closer to membership of the Alliance, a senior official from a NATO country said. However, a number of the officials interviewed by Politico indicated that NATO is generally open to this approach.

At the same time, they agree that Ukraine's entry is possible only after the war with Russia is over. At the July NATO summit in Vilnius, Ukraine also seeks to achieve clear wording regarding the prospect of obtaining membership of the North Atlantic alliance. Ukraine has criticised the decision of the Bucharest Summit, which is "as far away from reality as possible".

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