Ukraine's place in NATO, but decision is unlikely to be made at summit

Ukraine's place is rightfully in NATO, but the allies are unlikely to reach a consensus at the summit in July on inviting the country to join the Alliance.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, RBC-Ukraine reports.

"Today we discussed preparations for the July NATO summit. So, Mr. President (Volodymyr Zelensky - ed.), I look forward to welcoming you to Washington for this meeting," Stoltenberg said.

At the same time, the Secretary General expressed the opinion that Ukraine's place is rightfully in NATO and we, the member states, will do everything to ensure that Ukrainians join the Alliance.

"In order for this decision to be made, we need all Allies to agree to it. Not a majority, but a consensus, so that all 32 members agree," Stoltenberg emphasized.

He expressed his uncertainty about achieving such a result at the summit in July. However, according to him, the Allies can demonstrate that Ukraine is being brought closer to membership and that "this day will come as soon as possible".

At the same time, the NATO Secretary General emphasized the need for Ukraine to become as interoperable as possible, to fully meet all NATO standards, and to become a member when the political conditions are met.

"And what we are doing now in terms of military support is part of what meets Ukraine's immediate needs," Stoltenberg said.

According to him, the possibilities of strengthening military support for Ukraine are currently being discussed, as well as providing such forces and means that will ensure the Armed Forces of Ukraine's place in the Alliance in the future.

"So, I think we are implementing and must implement the important decisions taken in Vilnius: the Membership Action Plan was canceled, we moved from a two-stage to a one-stage process, we agreed to establish the NATO-Ukraine Council, and we also have a large interoperability program," the NATO Secretary General said.

As a reminder, Ukraine applied for NATO membership after Russia's full-scale invasion. Then Kyiv demanded an accelerated accession procedure without the so-called NATO Membership Action Plan.

Author – Anastasiya Glotova, 29/04/2024