Helsinki Commission urges US President to designate Georgia, Ukraine as Major Non-NATO Allies

The Helsinki Commission, a US government agency monitoring security in Europe, has called on President Joe Biden to designate Georgia and Ukraine as Major Non-NATO Allies (MNNAs), American global affairs publication Foreign Policy reported on Saturday.

In a letter to Biden, the Commission urged the presidential administration to reinforce the United States support for both Georgia and Ukraine, citing the Russian occupation of the countries as “the tragedy of long-stalled Euro-Atlantic enlargement.”

Absent strong and proactive U.S. backing for Ukrainian and Georgian NATO membership, [Russian President] Putin will continue to take ample advantage in his aspirations to upend security and cooperation in Europe and his neocolonial agenda,” they wrote.

The Commission has also suggested considering the MNNA status for Moldova, Sweden and Finland.

The US defines the MNNA status as providing its foreign partners with benefits in defence and security cooperation.