Ukraine cannot join NATO while the war continues, says the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Ukraine will not join NATO as long as the war continues, but the path to future membership is open. This is what NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a forum in Brussels on May 24, Reuters reports.
“Taking membership in the middle of a war is not negotiable. This issue will be on the agenda when the war is over and we see what is happening,” he said.
Stoltenberg said that within the Alliance itself “there are different opinions” about Ukraine’s potential membership, but added that all members are united that Ukraine will become a member of NATO in the future.
“We all agree that NATO’s doors are open for new members and it is up to NATO allies and Ukraine, not Moscow, to decide when they (Ukraine – ed.) should join,” said general secretary.
He also noted that the NATO summit in Vilnius will discuss all kinds of security guarantees for Ukraine, but it is not yet expected that specific decisions will be made on them.
“I do not expect that there will be any final decisions at the summit in Vilnius,” Stoltenberg said, responding to a request for comment on the information that Ukraine will be given security guarantees along the lines of the “Israeli model .”
According to the General Secretary, during the meeting in Vilnius, the Alliance allies will discuss assistance to Ukraine, strengthening its defense and deterrence capabilities, as well as the transition to NATO standards and possible harmonization.
The NATO summit is scheduled for July 11-12, 2023 to be held in Vilnius.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine is doing everything to make a decision at the NATO summit in Vilnius that “works” for our state.
Recall that Ukraine is preparing political and practical cooperation packages, which will be offered for discussion at the NATO summit.
Source: korrespondent
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