(NewsNation) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walked away from this week’s NATO summit with more pledges for military aid, but a somewhat ambiguous plan for ascension into the military alliance.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor says Zelenskyy is likely satisfied with the outcome.
“Zelenskyy is very pleased that number one, Ukraine was the center of this discussion for the last three days; No. 2, he did get an indication, much better indication, of when he’d get in, and number three, the commitment of weapons and other kinds of support is unprecedented,” Taylor said Wednesday on “CUOMO.” “NATO is united; Zelenskyy got the benefit.”
The summit was dominated by talk of continued support for Ukraine in its war against Russia but also exposed tensions over the path Ukraine might have to join the alliance.
Zelenskyy on Tuesday expressed frustration about the skepticism from Biden and some other world leaders about Ukraine joining NATO, a move Biden has said should wait until after the war with Russia has ended. By Wednesday, Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine would not be able to join the alliance while the war was ongoing.
The U.S. and its Group of Seven allies also announced plans for security negotiations with Ukraine to ensure it had the military support it needed in the short-term and in the future to defer further Russian aggression.
The defense pledges come after the United States agreed earlier this year to allow Ukrainian pilots to train on F-16 fighter jets. Biden had initially resisted the pleas from Kyiv.
“It became very clear that that’s what the Ukrainians are going to need to win this war,” Taylor said of the change in stance.
The Hill contributed to this report.