As a result of the NATO summit in Vilnius this week, NATO leaders agreed on a package of three elements to bring Ukraine closer to the alliance. The first element includes creating an assistance program for Ukraine that will make transition to NATO standards possible. The second element is the establishment of the NATO-Ukraine Council, and the third one involves the cancellation of the membership action plan for Ukraine, which will shorten Kiev's accession process. However, no official invitation was extended by the bloc to Kiev.
"In principle, it would likely take decades for Ukraine to clear all the hurdles about joining NATO even if there were peace — for example, although corruption is not as bad as in Russia, Ukraine would need to clean that up to join. However, given the circumstances, it is likely that NATO would seek to speed up that process," John Mueller, a political scientist and professor emeritus at Ohio State University, said.
Meanwhile, James Sperling, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Akron, underscored that one of the requirements for joining the alliance is settling all outstanding territorial disputes, which means that Kiev has to either force Moscow to recognize Ukraine's pre-2014 borders and withdraw its troops or reach a territorial settlement with the Kremlin that would serve as a basis for a future relationship between the countries. Some kind of agreement with Russia that would guarantee safe shipping in the Sea of Azov would also be in order, the expert told Sputnik.
"The actual prospect of Ukrainian accession to NATO is a different matter entirely owing to the several issues, the most important of which is the neo-isolationist and Russophile bent of MAGA Republicans. Were [former US President] Donald Trump, for example, re-elected, Ukrainian membership in NATO would be taken off the table for the duration of his administration, and NATO itself would be lucky to survive until the end of it," Sperling stressed.
He went on to suggest that another hurdle that Kiev will have to overcome is a potential veto from the current NATO members, citing the example of Sweden, whose accession was stalled by Turkiye and Hungary.