MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th July, 2023) US officials involved in the development of the communique at the NATO summit in Vilnius wanted to remove any mention of a membership "invitation" for Ukraine from the document after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's criticism of the alliance, The Washington Post has reported, citing sources familiar with the talks.
On Tuesday, the NATO summit adopted a communique saying that "Ukraine's future is in NATO," but not extending an official invitation. Zelenskyy slammed the document, saying that it was "unprecedented and absurd" that NATO set no time frame neither for granting Ukraine membership nor for formally inviting it.
US officials at the summit were close to removing the reference to an "invitation" or making the document's general language less welcoming to a fast-track accession for Ukraine as a result, two direct participants in the talks were cited as saying in the report out Thursday.
The US and its allies ultimately decided to keep the text of the communique unchanged, the newspaper said.
The incident showed increasing frustration among NATO members with Zelenskyy's tactics to pressure the bloc and receive more support, with even some of his backers questioning whether he served Ukraine's interests with his actions, The Washington Post also said.
Earlier in the week, The New York Times reported, citing a NATO-country official, that Zelenskyy threatened not to appear at the first meeting of the newly established NATO-Ukraine Council due to his disappointment with the alliance's stance on Ukraine's membership prospects.
