Blinken Says NATO Countries Stand By Bucharest Commitment On Ukraine's Admission

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday said that all NATO countries stand by their commitments made in Bucharest on the accession of Ukraine to the military bloc

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st June, 2023) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday said that all NATO countries stand by their commitments made in Bucharest on the accession of Ukraine to the military bloc.

"Everyone here stands behind the Bucharest commitment. That hasn't changed. We're focused intensely on what we can do to strengthen even more the relationship between Ukraine and NATO, and to continue to bring Ukraine up to NATO standards, interoperability," Blinken said during a press conference from Oslo, Norway.

Blinken added that the subject would be a feature of the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where a strong package of "political and practical" support for Ukraine is expected to be agreed.

Since Russia began its special military operation in Ukraine, Kiev has been pushing for an accelerated admission to NATO. Although member states have agreed on the country's future accession, most refuse to initiate the process as long as the conflict is ongoing.

Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that NATO had deceived Moscow when it promised not to expand to the East, adding that Ukraine had declared itself a neutral state upon their independence.

In 2008, NATO issued a declaration after its Summit held in Bucharest, Romania. In it, it was agreed that Ukraine and Georgia would be admitted after following a series of reforms.