Ukraine Must Implement Reforms for NATO Membership Approval, Sullivan Says

Jake Sullivan, the US National Security Adviser, stated that for Ukraine to gain NATO membership, it must implement necessary reforms and meet specific security conditions.

Sullivan reported that during a press conference on board of the presidential plane Air Force One, the Voice of America outlet reports. 

The adviser recalled the position of the USA, voiced during the NATO summit in Washington in July of 2024.

"There is still work to be done to get there, including reforms and security conditions. So, the question is how to build a bridge from where we are now to Ukraine's possible membership in NATO. And the answer to this question was the results of the summit in Washington, including the institutionalization of the security support apparatus for Ukraine," Sullivan said, adding that President Biden is trying to make support for Ukraine long-term.

Sullivan stated that Russia’s war in Ukraine will be among the key issues that President Joe Biden will discuss with allies during his visit to Germany on Thursday.

"The four leaders of Germany, France, Great Britain and the United States will meet to discuss two issues in particular: first, the war in Ukraine and the way forward, especially in light of the fact that they have all had the opportunity to speak personally with President Zelenskyy over the past few weeks and heard from him about how he sees things going,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan reported that the meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in the Ramstein format will be held in November at the level of leaders in a virtual format. He did not specify the date of the meeting.

Joe Biden has already arrived in Berlin and has met the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at Bellevue Palace in Berlin on Friday morning, October 18.