US, allies discussing what commitment to give on Ukraine joining NATO - media

The United States and several key allies, including the United Kingdom, are actively debating how strongly to commit to Ukraine's NATO membership at the alliance's upcoming 75th anniversary summit in Washington.

That's according to CNN, Ukrinform reports.

At the same time, the U.S. is facing criticism from a variety of European countries for not being willing to go as far as several – especially those close to Russia's border – would like, according to multiple U.S. and European sources familiar with the discussions.

U.S. and German officials have proposed that the alliance pledge during next month's summit that Ukraine has a "bridge" to NATO membership, rather than an "irreversible path" as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in April.

A senior U.S. official said that Biden administration officials do not think the word "irreversible" would get the support of the entire alliance, pointing in particular to Hungary as a likely holdout. Some NATO members are also reluctant to use the word because Ukraine has yet to implement all of the necessary democratic and anti-corruption reforms necessary for membership, a separate U.S. official said.

"Most Central European countries are disappointed by the Biden administration's ambiguity and procrastination" when it comes to outlining a concrete pathway forward for Ukraine, a Central European diplomat told CNN. A second European official whose country is more aggressive on Ukraine's membership than the U.S. said that European allies have been directly lobbying the White House to make Ukraine's pathway as clear as possible.