Ukraine’s place is rightfully in NATO, we will do everything to make it member of Alliance - Stoltenberg
Ukraine rightfully deserves to become a member of NATO, but all 32 Allies must agree to its accession.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this at a joint briefing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Censor.NET reports citing RBC-Ukraine.
"I believe that Ukraine's place is rightfully in NATO, and we will do everything to ensure that Ukraine becomes a member of the Alliance. In order for this decision to be made, we need all the members of the Alliance to agree to it. Not a majority, but a consensus, so that all 32 members agree," Stoltenberg stressed.
He also noted that he is not sure whether such a result will be achieved at the NATO summit in July. However, as Stoltenberg stressed, Allies can demonstrate that Ukraine is on the road to membership and that "this day will come as soon as possible".
At the same time, the NATO Secretary General also reminded of the need for Ukraine to become as interoperable as possible, to fully meet all NATO standards. He is confident that when the political conditions are met, our country will become a member.
"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, as well as providing such forces and means that will ensure the Armed Forces of Ukraine's place in the Alliance in the future, are currently being discussed.
"So, I think we are implementing and must implement the important decisions taken in Vilnius: the Membership Action Plan was cancelled, 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 programme," the NATO Secretary General said.
As reported, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine and NATO have reached the highest level of relations since Ukraine's independence. In particular, Zelenskyy expects to receive Ukraine's invitation to NATO during the summit of the North Atlantic Alliance to be held this summer in Washington. Censor.NET also reported that Stoltenberg arrived in Kyiv and discussed a €100 billion defence support fund for Ukraine with Zelenskyy.
