All allies agree with Ukraine’s accession to NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, said. Also, the members approve an open-door policy, that is, the organization’s expansion.
The main question is the time frame within which Ukraine will become part of NATO. Kyiv and other member states will make decisions, “and no one else,” Stoltenberg explained.
“We agree that the most urgent and important task now is to ensure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign independent nation that will preserve itself as a democratic country in Europe. Because if Ukraine doesn’t prevail, then there’s no membership issue to discuss,” the NATO Secretary General emphasized.
At the same time, Stoltenberg announced that Ukraine would not receive an official invitation to join NATO at the July summit. However, Kyiv can count on new security guarantees from the Alliance countries.
“I think there is no expectations that that will happen in Vilnius. But what we know is that we need to address Ukraine’s request for membership and the way forward. There are consultations going on between NATO allies, and these consultations [are not] at a conclusion yet,” Stoltenberg explained.
NATO allies are probably ready to remove some obstacles on Ukraine’s path to the North Atlantic Alliance. This is a simplified entry procedure, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said.
Meanwhile, Oleksii Reznikov stated that Ukraine already plays the role of NATO’s eastern flank. The Minister of Defense emphasized that for Ukraine, the defense of Europe is “not just an abstract concept.”
“We have already achieved impressive results in the fight against Russia, thanks to our work with member countries of the Alliance. We have already collected an incredibly diverse arsenal of weapons and equipment. We have built logistical routes from NATO countries to us, which are logistical routes of unprecedented complexity, and organised training programs in NATO countries… We will strengthen such cooperation in the future,” Reznikov said.
The Minister emphasized: Ukraine expects to receive clarity from NATO regarding membership prospects at the NATO summit in Vilnius. The meeting of the Alliance countries will take place on July 11-12 in Lithuania. Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kyiv seeks to receive an invitation to join the military-political union at the summit.
Cover: Associated Press
