Grenell to NATO: Ukraine Membership Push Would Face ‘Big Buzzsaw’ in US

Grenell said NATO shouldn’t take on new members while its current members lag behind on their military spending commitments.

Ric Grenell, former director of U.S. National Intelligence, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas at the Hilton Anatole on Aug. 6, 2022. Bobby Sanchez for The Epoch Times

Richard Grenell, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as envoy for special missions, warned that NATO leaders would face backlash from the United States if they pushed to extend alliance membership to Ukraine without first boosting their own support for the embattled eastern European nation.

Amid the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war, NATO leaders have discussed steps to extend the alliance membership to Ukraine, but the alliance is still working out details of the ascension plan.