OAN’s Tom McGrath
6:00 PM – Thursday, April 4, 2024
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says NATO’s next summit will focus heavily on the admission of Ukraine as a member state.
While speaking at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) headquarters for the pact’s 75th birthday on Thursday, Blinken claimed that Russia’s unchecked aggression needed to be stifled.
Blinken had said Ukraine did not meet membership criteria during last year’s summit.
However, the secretary changed his tune this year by stating that Kyiv needs unquestioned support from the west.
“We know what the needs are, air defenses, artillery, munitions,” Blinken said. “So, I believe, based on what I heard today, that everyone, including the United States, is going to, double back and as necessary, double down on finding the resources that Ukraine continues to need.”
“Ukraine will become a member of NATO,” he concluded
If Ukraine were still at war at the time of its admission, Article 5 of the treaty would be invoked. That would draw the United States into a full-scale conflict with Russia.
NATO’s next annual summit will take place in Washington D.C. in July.
The alliance currently consists of 32 members. Sweden became the latest addition to the alliance, officially joining NATO on March 7th.
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