NATO Offers Security Guarantees to Ukraine Instead of Membership

Ukraine has secured a pledge to receive new security guarantees from the United States and its allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to bolster its defenses against Russia.

The member states of the most powerful military bloc in the world offered the possibility of providing long-term protection to Ukraine a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the refusal to invite his country to join the alliance or provide a timetable for that, describing the refusal as "absurd."

Instead, the Group of Seven (G7) major industrialized nations announced a framework for bilateral negotiations to provide military and financial support as well as intelligence and pledged to take immediate steps if Russia attacks Ukraine again.

The G7 includes the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan.

"Our support will continue long into the future. It is a strong statement of our commitment to Ukraine," US President Joe Biden told Zelensky and the G7 leaders.