(NewsWorthy.news) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has claimed that Ukraine will end up joining NATO while standing with Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba. He commented soon afterward on X on April 4 that Ukraine’s future was with NATO.
At the 2023 summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, NATO allies agreed that, when conditions are met, Ukraine can join NATO. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Baltic states criticized the alliance for failing to establish clear goals and a timeline for Ukraine’s membership. NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that all NATO members agreed with Ukraine joining the alliance when its war with Russia is over.
Blinken’s comments have sparked criticism from Republicans. Utah Senator Mike Lee has slated Stoltenberg’s “display of hubris,” accusing him of disregarding sovereignty. Lee stressed the need to properly weigh the risks of expanding NATO’s borders, and described the expansion of the alliance next-door to a nuclear-armed nation as a “dangerous game of chicken.” He blamed the prospect of NATO expansion in Ukraine and Georgia for influencing Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine in February 2022.
On April 4, Lee commented in response to Blinken on X that NATO can only have the U.S. or Ukraine, not both. Republican Ohio Senator J. D. Vance called Blinken’s comments “completely irresponsible,” raising concerns about the U.S. being dragged into a war with Russia’s neighbors. Baltic nations are already urging current NATO members to bring back military conscription out of concern that Russian aggression could spread beyond Ukraine.
Republican Texas Representative Wesley Hunt accused President Joe Biden’s administration of being “hellbent” on dragging the U.S. into another war. Lee criticized NATO for acting like a “social club” that rewards good behavior. He stressed that nations seeking to join should be able to demonstrate “hard power” and be in a position to share the alliance’s burdens fairly. Lee argued that Ukraine is “incompatible” on all fronts as a potential member, questioning what strategic value the nation would bring to NATO.
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