US Reaffirms Support For NATO Aspirations Of Ukraine, Georgia Ahead Of Riga Meeting

The United States backs Georgia and Ukraine in their aspirations to become NATO members, the State Department said on Monday ahead of the alliance's meeting in Riga

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th November, 2021) The United States backs Georgia and Ukraine in their aspirations to become NATO members, the State Department said on Monday ahead of the alliance's meeting in Riga.

From November 30-December 1, NATO foreign ministers will meet in Latvia to address the alleged build-up of Russian forces near Ukraine and the migrant crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border. They will also discuss "the situation in the region with NATO's close partners Georgia and Ukraine." Afghanistan will be on agenda as well.

"NATO leaders are committed to NATO's Open Door Policy, which provides a path to membership for any European country that shares our values and meets the necessary responsibilities and obligations," the State Department said in a fact sheet.

"The United States continues to support NATO's decision in the 2008 Bucharest Summit Declaration, reaffirmed ever since, including in the June 2021 Brussels Summit, that Georgia and Ukraine will become NATO members," it added.

Commenting on prospects for Ukraine's NATO membership in October, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin confirmed Washington's support for Kiev's aspirations and emphasized that third countries have no right to veto the accession.

Ukraine's NATO accession would be an extremely dangerous step and would force Moscow to react, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko told Sputnik last month, noting that the alliance has been warned about possible consequences.