Volker on Biden's statement about Ukraine's unpreparedness to join Alliance: NATO is not ready to admit Ukraine

He expressed this viewpoint on his Twitter account.

Volker's reaction came in response to President Biden's recent interview with CNN, where he stated that it is "premature to talk about urging a vote on Ukraine's membership in NATO."

"The president has it backwards. It's not that Ukraine is not ready for NATO membership. It's that NATO is not ready to admit Ukraine. And that will come back to haunt," commented the former U.S. Ambassador to the Alliance.

What is known about the NATO summit

The NATO summit  will take place in Vilnius on July 11-12. Ukraine hopes to receive clear decisions on joining the Alliance in July during the NATO meeting in Vilnius. On May 23, Ukraine's ambassador to NATO, Natalia Galibarenko, mentioned that Ukraine is preparing two cooperation packages (political and practical), which will be presented for discussion during the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius. 

On May 30, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba outlined three key points that define Ukraine's vision for a successful outcome at the NATO summit in Vilnius. "Strengthen Ukraine-NATO institutional ties and assistance. Take a step toward UA membership. Provide security guarantees on Ukraine’s path to NATO." 

On June 10, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister, Volodymyr Havrylov, expressed his belief that the July NATO summit in Vilnius  will set the algorithm for Ukraine's accession to the Alliance. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that Ukraine will become a NATO member in the future, but due to the ongoing war, specific dates for accession cannot be determined.

On June 15, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for Ukraine's membership in NATO with 425 votes in favor.  On June 16, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on NATO chief Stoltenberg to drop the Membership Action Plan (MAP) if Ukraine joins NATO.

US President Joe Biden expressed support for removing the MAP stage, making the joining process simpler for Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized Ukraine's role in Europe's defense and called on allies to invite the country to NATO. He stated that Ukraine has valid reasons to receive a political invitation to NATO at the Vilnius summit.

James Cleverly, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in the UK, assured support for Ukraine's simplified entry into NATO.

On June 28, during a speech in parliament on Constitution Day, President Zelenskyy proposed 5 points of the Ukrainian Doctrine, which stipulates that Ukraine's future lies in the EU and NATO, for discussion.

On June 30, US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said that NATO member states are close to a consensus on Ukraine's accession to NATO without the MAP.

On July 4, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda called on NATO allies to propose a simplified accession process for Ukraine during the summit in Vilnius, in order to enhance the effectiveness of Ukrainians on the battlefield. Also, on July 5, the Foreign Ministers of the United Kingdom, James Cleverly, and his Polish counterpart, Zbigniew Rau, expressed hope that Ukraine would be admitted to NATO through an accelerated procedure.

Later, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Ukraine deserves membership in NATO, emphasizing that everyone stands to gain from the establishment of a just peace. However, the American president stated that he believes the question of Ukraine's NATO membership can only be considered after the end of the war with Russia.

On Sunday, July 9, it was announced that the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany are engaged in negotiations to finalize a security assurance declaration for Ukraine ahead of the NATO summit.