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NATO nations agree Ukraine is on “irreversible path” to membership
NATO nation leaders, in a Washington summit declaration released Wednesday, said Ukraine is on an “irreversible path” to NATO membership.
The summit declaration, signed by all 32 NATO nations, offers some of the strongest language yet about the organization’s intent to eventually include Ukraine in its membership.
Ukraine and its protection are a central part of this year’s NATO summit in Washington, D.C., hosted by President Biden. The declaration, which encompasses NATO’s beliefs and goals, says Ukraine “has become increasingly interoperable and politically integrated with the alliance.”
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“We welcome the concrete progress Ukraine has made since the Vilnius Summit on its required democratic, economic, and security reforms,” the declaration says. “As Ukraine continues this vital work, we will continue to support it on its irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership. We reaffirm that we will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the Alliance when Allies agree and conditions are met.”
However, the alliance’s statement did not offer a specific timeline for membership for Ukraine, which has sought to formalize its ties with Europe and the U.S. When NATO leaders convened one year ago, they affirmed that Ukraine would eventually become a member of the organization. Last year, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Ukraine had made “good progress” toward membership but needed to do more, including enacting military and democratic reforms. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was critical of last year’s statement.
Mr. Biden, who faces a test of his fitness to be the Democratic nominee, made Ukraine a key focus of his opening speech at the summit.
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“We know Putin won’t stop at Ukraine. But make no mistake — Ukraine can and will stop Putin,” the president said of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Especially with our full, collective support. They have our full support.”
Mr. Biden insisted NATO is as important now as it ever was, citing terrorist threats and Russia’s two-year-old war with Ukraine. The president announced a donation of air defense equipment for Ukraine from the U.S., Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Italy. In the coming months, the U.S. and its partners will provide Ukraine with dozens of additional tactical air defense systems, he said.
Zelenskyy has been making the most of his time in Washington, meeting with leaders on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. Zelenskyy has met with House Speaker Mike Johnson as well as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, as he continues to request more funding and supplies to defend his country against Russia’s invasion.
Nowadays, what makes a martini a martini? Robert Simonson, who wrote a book about the martini, said, “It’s funny: it’s strict and loose at the same time.”
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Everyone seems to have an opinion about the cocktail: “Ingredients, proportions, garnishes – it’s all subject to debate,” Simonson said. “I’m a purist. I would think it needs to be gin and vermouth. But I’m willing to bend and say, ‘Okay, vodka and vermouth as well.’ [However,] if there’s no vermouth in there, I don’t know how you can call it a cocktail.”
Simonson says the martini was probably named after a vermouth company. It was invented in America in the 1870s or ’80s when bartenders mixed gin with vermouth, a fortified wine made with herbs and spices. “It’s a very big player in cocktail history,” he said.
In the early 20th century, the “very-dry” martini became very-popular: Ice cold gin or vodka, garnished with a lemon twist, or an olive, or an onion, but only a little vermouth (or maybe not even a little).
Samantha Casuga, the head bartender at Temple Bar in New York City, says the reason why many people might not want vermouth in their martini is because, for years, vermouth was stored improperly. “It should be in the fridge,” she said.
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Casuga’s classic martini is two parts gin, one part vermouth, with a twist of lemon. She suggests that you probably shouldn’t order it the way James Bond does – shaken, not stirred. Casuga says she’s always stirring, but some people like the show behind the bar when a bartender shakes their cocktail. “Definitely, people love a good shake,” she said.
People also love to have a martini made just the way they want it. But Casuga understands why they might be so specific: “To have your own preferences, not only listened to and then executed, is, like, that’s luxury itself.”
Writer Robert Simonson says that a martini can also add a little luxury to your Thanksgiving. “It actually makes very good sense for Thanksgiving,” he said. “It will whet your appetite for the meal to come.
“There are very few American inventions more American than the martini. So, an American holiday, American drink.”
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Story produced by Mary Raffalli. Editor: Remington Korper.
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