US Vice President JD Vance spoke about prospects for Ukraine in the North Atlantic Alliance during an interview with the 2WAY TONIGHT television program. According to him, Kyiv should not join NATO, and relations between Washington and Kyiv do not constitute a formal alliance. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing a recording of the conversation.
"Partner" and "Ally": How Vance Distinguishes Statuses
During the interview, the host asked Vance whether the concepts of a "partner country" and an "ally country" are identical or if they imply less close relations between states. Responding, the vice president emphasized that there is no formal alliance agreement between the US and Ukraine. "As far as I know, we do not have an official alliance agreement with Ukraine," he stated, thereby indicating that in his view, bilateral relations do not fall under the category of an alliance in the strict sense.
Position on Ukraine's Accession to NATO
Continuing his answer, Vance spoke out directly against expanding the alliance to include Kyiv. "Ukraine is not in NATO. I don't think it should join NATO," the vice president stated. At the same time, he added that he considers Ukraine to be "a very admirable country, a wonderful country with many wonderful people," which, according to him, does not change his position regarding alliance membership.
Cooperation and Divergence of Positions
Vance clarified that despite the lack of a formal alliance and his skepticism about NATO membership, interaction between the two countries will continue. "We will cooperate on some issues, but in some issues our positions will also diverge," he noted, effectively establishing a model of partial rather than full strategic rapprochement.
Call to Stop Attacks on Energy Facilities
Also during the same interview, the US vice president stated that Ukraine must stop attacks on Russian energy facilities. According to RBC-Ukraine, this most likely referred to oil refineries. This statement became part of a broader set of remarks by Vance about the nature of Washington's relationship with Kyiv and which areas of cooperation he believes are priorities and which are not.
