NATO countries they may be ready to take on some obstacles for Ukraine’s accession to the Alliancethe German Defense Minister said today Boris Pistoriusa few weeks before the NATO meetingwhich aims to bridge differences between members on the issue.

“There is increasing evidence that everyone will be able to agree on that”Pistorius told reporters in Brussels when asked about reports that the US is open to allowing Kiev to bypass a process normally required for a country to join the Alliance.

“I would be open to it,” the German minister stressed on the sidelines of a meeting with his counterparts from NATO member countries at the headquarters of the Alliance.

The Washington Post reported in an article yesterday, Thursday, that US initially backs plan to remove some obstacles to Ukraine’s NATO membershipwithout, however, setting a specific timetable for its admission to the Alliance.

The newspaper quotes a senior American official who stated that Washington feels “comfortable” with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s proposal to allow Kiev to bypass the Accession Action Plan (MAP).

Since 1999, most countries wishing to join NATO have participated in this programwhich aims to help candidate states meet certain political, economic and military criteria.

By shortening the process US hopes to bridge differences between NATO member countries over Ukraine’s entry into the Allianceaccording to the Washington Post.

However, based on the proposal, Kyiv should proceed with reforms and, contrary to the wishes of some Eastern European countries, it does not provide for a specific timetable for its admission to NATOthe newspaper noted.

At the 2008 summit in Bucharest, NATO agreed Ukraine to join the Alliance at some point. But the leaders of the member states have not yet taken steps to draw up a clear timetable, something that Kiev and countries in eastern Europe are pressing for.