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The White House and the Ukrainian government initially sent conflicting official accounts of Monday’s phone call between President Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Why it matters: The Ukrainian government initially reported on its official website that Biden “highlighted … the importance of providing the Ukrainian state with an action plan for NATO membership,” which would set Ukraine on its way to joining the alliance. The White House denied that Biden had expressed support for such a move on the call.
“The Ukrainians misunderstood the statement and corrected the record,” a spokesperson for the National Security Council told Axios. By Monday evening, the Ukrainian government’s statement had been changed to remove reference to Ukraine’s NATO membership.
Flashbacks: Former President George W. Bush first endorsed the idea of giving Ukraine the Membership Action Plan — the process by which 11 eastern European countries joined NATO — in 2008. Thirteen years later, the embattled country is no closer to NATO membership.
Meanwhile, Russia invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea. The United States and Europe have sent aid to Ukraine, but have made clear that they will not use military force to defend Ukraine from Vladimir Putin, and Zelensky has made NATO integration a top priority, but progress on this front currently appears unlikely.
Note: When asked, the White House declined to comment on whether Biden supports the idea of presenting a NATO membership action plan for Ukraine this year.
Leading the news: During the call on Monday, Biden invited Zelensky to the White House in July.
Between the lines: The announcement came 18 hours after Axios published an interview with Zelensky in which the Ukrainian president criticized Biden’s handling of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline and urged Biden to meet him “at any moment, anywhere on this planet” before. Putin’s vision.
Dive in: Read the interview
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