NATO-Gipfel in Vilnius: Bereitschaft zur Aufnahme der Ukraine – aber ohne Zeitplan

Die NATO-Mitgliedsstaaten haben bei ihrem Gipfel in Vilnius die Bereitschaft zur Aufnahme der Ukraine bekräftigt, nennen aber weiterhin dafür keinen Zeitplan. Wir werden in der Position sein, eine Einladung auf die Ukraine zum Beitritt auszudehnen, wenn die Verbündeten zustimmen und die Bedingungen erfüllt sind, heißt es in dem Kommuniqué, das am ersten Tag des Treffens der Staats- und Regierungschefs veröffentlicht wurde.

Die vor allem von der Ukraine mit anderen Erwartungen befrachtete Aussage in der Erklärung vom (heutigen) Dienstag:

We fully support Ukraine’s right to choose its own security arrangements. Ukraine’s future is in NATO. We reaffirm the commitment we made at the 2008 Summit in Bucharest that Ukraine will become a member of NATO, and today we recognise that Ukraine’s path to full Euro-Atlantic integration has moved beyond the need for the Membership Action Plan. Ukraine has become increasingly interoperable and politically integrated with the Alliance, and has made substantial progress on its reform path. In line with the 1997 Charter on a Distinctive Partnership between NATO and Ukraine and the 2009 Complement, Allies will continue to support and review Ukraine’s progress on interoperability as well as additional democratic and security sector reforms that are required. NATO Foreign Ministers will regularly assess progress through the adapted Annual National Programme. The Alliance will support Ukraine in making these reforms on its path towards future membership. We will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the Alliance when Allies agree and conditions are met.

Mit der Aussage, dass die Ukraine nicht wie sonst für neue Mitglieder üblich einen Membership Action Plan durchlaufen muss, kommt das Bündnis dem Land zwar entgegen – Zeitplan und die konkreten Bedingungen bleiben allerdings offen. Das hatte der ukrainische Präsident Wolodymyr Selenskyj offensichtlich bereits zuvor erwartet, als er via Twitter seine Kritik an der Allianz deutlich machte. Es sei absurd, keinen Zeitplan zu vereinbaren, klagte der ukrainische Staatschef:

We value our allies. We value our shared security. And we always appreciate an open conversation. Ukraine will be represented at the NATO summit in Vilnius. Because it is about respect. But Ukraine also deserves respect. Now, on the way to Vilnius, we received signals that certain wording is being discussed without Ukraine. And I would like to emphasize that this wording is about the invitation to become NATO member, not about Ukraine’s membership. It’s unprecedented and absurd when time frame is not set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine’s membership. While at the same time vague wording about „conditions“ is added even for inviting Ukraine. It seems there is no readiness neither to invite Ukraine to NATO nor to make it a member of the Alliance. This means that a window of opportunity is being left to bargain Ukraine’s membership in NATO in negotiations with Russia. And for Russia, this means motivation to continue its terror. Uncertainty is weakness. And I will openly discuss this at the summit.

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(Foto: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Gitanas Nausėda, President of Lithuania welcome Olaf Scholz – Foto NATO)