NATO removes MAP hurdle to pave way for Ukraine's bloc membership: Foreign Minister Kuleba

Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, on July 10, said that NATO had nullified the requirement for Ukraine Membership Action Plan (MAP) to pave an easier path for the country's accession to the Western military bloc. “Following intensive talks, NATO allies have reached a consensus on removing MAP from Ukraine’s path to membership. I welcome this long-awaited decision that shortens our path to NATO,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter. 

On the eve of the NATO summit in the Lithuanian Capital of Vilnius, the bloc dropped the MAP requirement for Ukraine in order to set out targets to be met before it joins the military alliance. The move would shorten Ukraine's path to joining the military alliance and make the process easier. 

Membership Action Plan (MAP) of NATO is a programme of advice, assistance and practical support which is tailored to meet the requirement of the countries that seek to join the Alliance. Participation in the MAP does not prejudge any decision on future membership of the countries. Bosnia and Herzegovina is currently a participant in it. MAP requires those seeking membership to submit their individual annual national programmes to NATO which include the political, economic, defence, resource, security and legal aspects. Ukraine, however, will no longer have to meet this goal. 

Following intensive talks, NATO allies have reached consensus on removing MAP from Ukraine's path to membership. I welcome this long-awaited decision that shortens our path to NATO. It is also the best moment to offer clarity on the invitation to Ukraine to become member.

— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) July 10, 2023

Biden had floated the idea during talks with NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg

Earlier, US President Joe Biden had stressed that he is “open” to removing a big hurdle to Ukraine’s membership in NATO, even if the plan doesn’t indicate when exactly would Ukraine join the alliance. Biden had pushed for the removal of MAP which would have required Ukraine as a candidate nation to make military and democratic reforms before it is considered for membership. Although the MAP requirement is removed, Kyiv will still have to make some pro-democracy changes, but Alliance could welcome the country unanimously, anytime.

Biden had spoken to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg about the MAP removal in June but the decision is yet to be announced officially at NATO’s July summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. The bloc has been working for months to find a common ground that supports NATO’s commitment to Ukraine’s transatlantic integration. “It does mean that you can get to the process of membership much more speedily,” US ambassador to NATO from 2009 to 2013, Ivo Daalder, had told Politico, labelling the idea as a "significant step." Under MAP which is codified in NATO’s Bucharest Summit Declaration, it could take a country several years to officially join NATO. For instance, North Macedonia entered the MAP in 1999 and was able to join the alliance in 2020.