Washington rejects NATO's "roadmap" for Ukraine, according to FT

Washington has reportedly pushed back against efforts by allies to give Kiev a clear path to joining the Western military bloc. US President Joe Biden’s administration has reportedly opposed efforts by some European countries to give Ukraine a clear “roadmap” for joining NATO, instead urging partners to focus on providing short-term aid to Kiev. The issue has been under debate this week at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, where the groundwork is being laid for the bloc’s leaders’ summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has warned that he will only attend the summit in Vilnius if he’s offered clear steps for Kiev’s ascension to NATO, such as security guarantees and deeper collaboration with the alliance. Diplomats attending this week’s talks haven’t been able to reach agreement on what Ukraine should be offered. Washington is concerned that deepening the alliance’s ties with Ukraine at this juncture would feed into Russian claims that the current crisis is a conflict between Moscow and NATO, and it could also spur Russia to escalate the conflict.