Ukraine's accession to NATO after the war will guarantee peace

North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Ukraine's accession to NATO after the war will guarantee a lasting and sustainable peace.

He said this in New York during a public lecture at the Council on Foreign Relations think tank, Ukrinform reports.

"The fact that the war is in an active stage does not allow us to invite them (Ukrainians - ed.) tomorrow or today. It is very easy to predict Ukraine's membership when this war is over. Even if we really want to see Ukraine as a NATO member as soon as possible, we realize that this is not something that can happen now," Stoltenberg said.

At the same time, he said, it is worth looking beyond this war, because when it ends, in one way or another, in the near or distant future, it will be important to ensure that this history does not repeat itself.

"If the fighting ends now, we have to be sure that it will really stop the war. This means that there must be framework conditions that will guarantee the security and territorial integrity of Ukraine, respect for its borders. Of course, NATO membership is one of the ways to achieve this. There are also certain bilateral agreements. But one way or another, there is a need for guarantees. This means that these are interconnected things - NATO membership, ending the war and ensuring a lasting peace after the war," the Alliance chief emphasized.

Stoltenberg noted that providing Ukraine with modern Western-style weapons and appropriate training of Ukrainian military personnel brings Ukraine closer to NATO membership in a very practical way.

"During the summit in Vilnius... we agreed on a very broad program that will help ensure full interoperability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with NATO forces. For this purpose, 500 million euros per year have been allocated.This should ensure the operational capability of Ukrainian forces to operate together with NATO forces, which brings them closer to NATO in a very practical way.This is also facilitated by the fact that we provide Ukraine with modern weapons. When we train them to use HIMARS or Patriot systems, Leopard battle tanks and F-16 aircraft, it certainly allows Ukraine to move closer to NATO in a very practical way," the NATO Secretary General said.

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 23/09/2023