Admitting Ukraine to NATO Should Be on the Bargaining Table

On Thursday, the secretary of defense broadcast to the world (or at least to CNN’s audience) that Ukraine’s admission to NATO was a fait accompli:

This is a shift from just a week ago, when Joe Biden was saying that Ukraine wasn’t ready. Austin may not be speaking entirely out of turn, given the strong front that NATO countries put on by the end of the summit. But regardless of whether Ukraine meets the military and other internal qualifications for NATO membership, it nonetheless strikes me as reckless and premature to treat its admission to NATO as settled.