Ukraine’s NATO membership debate absent in upcoming summit draft

Ukraine’s bid to join NATO has been central to security debates since Russia’s 2022 invasion. While many allies back Kyiv’s membership for regional stability, geopolitical tensions have made the issue contentious. Notably, Ukraine’s potential accession is absent from the upcoming NATO summit declaration, highlighting diplomatic caution amid broader strategic concerns.

NATO allies are set to discuss whether contributions to Ukraine’s defence can be counted toward the alliance’s new defence spending target at the upcoming leaders’ summit later this month, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

According to a preliminary draft of the summit declaration, the alliance will also propose efforts to eliminate barriers to defence trade among member states. However, the draft is expected to undergo revisions before the final agreement is reached at the meeting in The Hague.

The forthcoming declaration is notably concise, focusing exclusively on defence spending—a stark contrast to last year’s extensive statement, which exceeded 5,000 words and included a long-term security assistance pledge for Ukraine. A NATO spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment outside regular business hours.

Sources familiar with the preparations said the summit’s brevity—featuring a dinner with the King of the Netherlands and a single working session on defence spending—is designed to minimize public disputes between US President Donald Trump and other allies. “NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has focused the summit on delivering a win for Trump in the form of an agreement among members to spend at least 5 per cent of GDP on defence,” the sources said on condition of anonymity. The summit also aims to maintain strong US engagement within NATO.

Under the new framework, allies will commit to allocating at least 3.5 per cent of their economic output to core defence needs by 2032, along with an additional 1.5 per cent to protect critical infrastructure, defend networks, and ensure civil preparedness, collectively meeting the 5 per cent threshold championed by the US.

Notably absent from the declaration are references to Ukraine’s potential NATO membership and last year’s $40 billion pledge in support of Kyiv. The draft reaffirms the alliance’s principle of collective defence, stating that an attack on one member is an attack on all, with members pledged to take appropriate action. It also identifies Russia as a “threat” to Euro-Atlantic security, a long-standing demand from many members, but stops short of labeling Russia as the aggressor in Ukraine. The statement makes no mention of China, which was previously described as a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s invasion.

By Vafa Guliyeva