Biden Suggests Israel Model for Ukraine

President Biden said Friday that Ukraine won’t be brought into NATO anytime soon but said he was willing to give Kyiv support similar to what the US provides Israel.

“I don’t think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war,” told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria. He acknowledged that bringing Ukraine into NATO would mean that “if the war is going on, then we’re all in war. We’re at war with Russia, if that were the case.”

NATO is holding a summit in Vilnius starting this Tuesday, and the alliance is expected to give new commitments to Ukraine. Kyiv is seeking a promise that it can join NATO once the war is over, but the US has expressed reluctance to give that pledge.

Biden said that there are other outstanding issues besides the war that need to be considered before offering Ukraine membership. “But I think it’s premature to say, to call for a vote, you know, in now, because there’s other qualifications that need to be met, including democratization and some of those issues,” he said.