US President Joe Biden is comfortable with removing one of the hurdles for Ukraine to join NATO, a source familiar with the situation told CNN.
According to the source, Biden would be willing to drop the Membership Action Plan (MAP) for Ukraine, which was described in a 2008 agreement as “the next step for Ukraine … on their direct way to membership.”
The MAP, characterized as “the program of advice, assistance and practical support tailored to the individual needs of countries wishing to join the Alliance,” is a process that other nations have had to undertake to join NATO.
Why this matters: Its removal would represent a small step in easing Ukraine’s accession into the defensive alliance.
It is part of proposal from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and was discussed when the two leaders met in Washington earlier this week, the source said.
The US president is most concerned about finding a concrete proposal that will be supported by the rest of the allies and would signal to Ukraine that they are making progress toward membership, the source said.
However, the United States still does not view Ukraine’s membership into the alliance as imminent due to reforms that Kyiv needs to make, and the source said the Stoltenberg proposal reflects this.
The NATO chief’s proposal does not set a specific timeline for Ukraine’s membership into the alliance, which is something that has been pushed by some members of the alliance.
CNN reported earlier this week that the US might be willing to drop the language around the MAP, according to a European diplomat.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he understands that his country cannot become a member of NATO while it is still at war.