Blinken: United States supports Ukraine's membership in NATO

The United States supports Ukraine's membership in NATO, and Ukraine currently has all the tools it needs to move forward in this direction.

"We support Ukraine membership in NATO. It currently has all of the tools it needs since the Membership Action Plan was created, a number of other very important tools were developed to help countries prepare for possible NATO membership, including an annual program that Ukraine benefits from. In our estimation, Ukraine has all the tools it needs to continue to move forward in this direction,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a hearing at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

According to Blinken, the United States works with Ukraine "virtually on a daily basis." MAP needs full consensus with other NATO members, he added, noting: "I think that there are some countries that are less supportive than others of that right now, but back to the MAP, Ukraine has all tools it needs to move forward toward being ready for membership in the future."

Blinken also pointed out the importance of building an effective anti-corruption system in Ukraine.

"What we also need to see from Ukraine is continuous progress on that level as well," he said.

As reported, on June 7, Zelensky and Biden held telephone talks, during which the American leader invited his Ukrainian counterpart to visit the White House in July.

ol