Ukraine set to be granted ‘major non-NATO ally’ status

The Embassy of Ukraine in the US has said that a draft bill has been presented at the US House of Representatives that would grant Ukraine the status of “major non-NATO ally” until the country becomes a full member of the Transatlantic military alliance.

According to an embassy statement, the new bill would strengthen US support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, as well as increasing American defence assistance under simplified terms, by “providing military hardware, selling lethal weapons to Ukraine’s Armed Forces, as well as enhancing Ukraine’s ability to confront Russia’s cyberattacks.”

In addition, the strategic partnership would allow Ukraine to have extended access to purchases of US military equipment while Ukrainian businesses would be entitled to bid on US military contracts for the maintenance of American equipment outside the US.

The bipartisan bill comes after the US Congress failed to vote on the Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014 that would have granted the country with the same special status five years ago.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was recently invited to the White House by US President Donald Trump, has endorsed the bill, saying that it is an important signal of a strong strategic partnership. “I am grateful to the United States for the consistent support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” he said.