According to the Kyiv Post, on January 10, a group of Republican members of the United States House of Representatives led by Rep Michael McCaul announced that they had introduced legislation to increase military assistance to Ukraine and grant the country “NATO Plus” status.
According to the legislation (H.R. 6367), NATO Plus membership would “ensure the expeditious consideration of the sale of a range of U.S. defense articles and services.” Essentially, it would allow the United States Congress to give special consideration to Ukraine’s potential future military needs.
The draft legislation comes as Russia continues to refuse to de-escalate its military buildup along Ukraine’s eastern flank, and as US and Russian delegations met in Geneva, Switzerland, to negotiate Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demands that NATO and the US provide his country with security assurances, one of which is that Ukraine will never join NATO.
Mazi Akachukwu Udoka, Obinwannem News writer / Jan 13, 2022
