NATO refused to provide Kiev and Tbilisi with an action plan for membership in the alliance

16.06.2021 08:58

NATO refused to provide Kiev and Tbilisi with an action plan for membership in the alliance

Ukraine and Georgia were left without a NATO Membership Action Plan, the alliance stated directly that at this stage they were not considering the option of providing Kiev and Tbilisi with a document, which means that they would soon join the alliance. This was stated by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, making it clear that Ukraine and Georgia were denied the MAP.

Kiev and Tbilisi once again were left with promises without receiving the action plan they insisted on. NATO again postponed the entry of "partners" into the alliance for an indefinite period, deciding that they were simply not ready to join this military-political bloc.

NATO head Jens Stoltenberg, speaking at a press conference, bluntly said that Kiev and Tbilisi need to carry out reforms in order to meet NATO standards. For his part, he promised his "partners" assistance in carrying out these reforms.

Having upset with the next refusal of Ukrainians and Georgians aspiring to NATO, Stoltenberg nevertheless added a "spoonful of honey", assuring that the entry into NATO of both countries would not depend on Russia's opinion, and only the alliance itself would decide whether they were ready or not.

The decision not to provide Ukraine and Georgia with the NATO Membership Action Plan was made at the NATO summit held on Monday. At the same time, Kiev and Tbilisi were promised NATO membership, but did not say when they would offer the coveted MAP. Ukrainian President Zelenskiy expressed disappointment with the decision and said that Ukraine "deserved" to be an equal partner in NATO and should be "invited" to the alliance, not ask for it.

Recall that the alliance met at the summit, for the first time in a long time without inviting representatives of Ukraine to it. This in Kiev was the reason for criticism of Vladimir Zelensky. The main critic was Poroshenko, saying that during his presidency, Ukraine has always been a participant in NATO summits.