The U.S. Commission urges Biden to designate Ukraine and Georgia as key non-NATO allies
The Helsinki Commission, an independent U.S. government agency dedicated to promoting human rights and security in Europe, has called on the Biden administration to improve U.S. defense relations with Ukraine. The Commission is seeking to facilitate military and financial assistance to Kiev as Russian forces besiege the Ukrainian capital.
Inside something letter To US President Joe Biden Foreign policythe commission called on the administration to designate ukraine and georgia, which were attacked by russia in 2008, as key non-NATO allies (MNNAs) and to strengthen US support for both countries’ membership of NATO.
“While the United States has consistently supported Ukraine’s and Georgia’s NATO membership, Russia’s occupation and continued attack reveal a long-stalled tragedy of Euro-Atlantic enlargement,” wrote a commission led by Democratic Senator Ben Cardin and Democratic Representative Steven. Cohen.
The Helsinki Commission, an independent U.S. government agency dedicated to promoting human rights and security in Europe, has called on the Biden administration to improve U.S. defense relations with Ukraine. The Commission is seeking to facilitate military and financial assistance to Kiev as Russian forces besiege the Ukrainian capital.
Inside something letter To US President Joe Biden Foreign policythe commission called on the administration to designate ukraine and georgia, which were attacked by russia in 2008, as key non-NATO allies (MNNAs) and to strengthen US support for both countries’ membership of NATO.
“While the United States has consistently supported Ukraine’s and Georgia’s NATO membership, Russia’s occupation and continued attack reveal a long-stalled tragedy of Euro-Atlantic enlargement,” wrote a commission led by Democratic Senator Ben Cardin and Democratic Representative Steven. Cohen.
“Ukraine’s and Georgia’s membership of NATO lacks strong and proactive US support, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin will continue to reap great benefits in his efforts to change European security and cooperation and his neo-colonial agenda, the letter said.
Both Ukraine and Georgia were promised to join the Defense Alliance at the NATO Summit in Bucharest, Romania in 2008. But despite extensive reform efforts, neither country has been offered a timetable for accession.
The United States has provided billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine since Russia first invaded it in 2014, over $ 1.2 billion approved during the past year. “This designation fairly reflects our current bilateral defense relationship and does not bind the United States to military action,” the commission’s letter also said the administration is considering extending its status to other non-NATO members east of Europe. : Finland, Moldova and Sweden.
Much of the military assistance provided by the United States to Ukraine has been approved through a number of ad hoc state funding mechanisms. Granting MNNA status to the country would open up a number of established channels to facilitate arms transfers, financial assistance and information exchange, paving the way for further cooperation. It would also send strong support to both Kiev and Tbilisi. Unlike NATO membership, MNNA status does not include mutual security and defense obligations.
On Thursday, the White House announced its appointment Colombia and Qatar as the main non-NATO allies, raising the total number of countries receiving the title 19.
The appointment is usually reserved for countries that do not have the ambition or prospect of joining NATO, which prompted Ukraine’s US Ambassador Oksana Markarova to express caution regarding the appointment last year. “The MNNA is a status for countries that do not plan / cannot force political or geographical reasons to join NATO. This really doesn’t apply to us, ”he wrote a Facebook send.
The decision to join NATO will be made among the 30 members of the alliance, and the designation of the US MNNA would not necessarily preclude Ukraine’s membership prospects.
The Helsinki Commission, formally known as the Commission for Security and Cooperation in Europe, was established in 1976 as an independent government agency to monitor compliance with the Helsinki agreements. This is a major diplomatic agreement during the Cold War aimed at reducing tensions between the Soviet Union. and the West and to strengthen human rights and security standards. The commission is made up of 18 members of the U.S. Congress from both parties, as well as representatives from the U.S. State Department, the Department of Defense and the Department of Commerce.
Correction, March 12, 2022: The previous version of this article expressed an incorrect representative of Steve Cohenn political party. He is part of the Democratic Party of the United States.