Until Ukraine defeats Russia in the war, there is no point in discussing when and how the country can join NATO.
This was stated by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, The Guardian reports.
At the democracy summit in Copenhagen, Stoltenberg gave an interview to one of the former heads of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
According to him, when the NATO allies meet at the NATO summit in July, the heads of state and government will send "a very clear message of support for Ukraine, and this will be manifested in various ways."
"When it comes to membership, I expect NATO allies to say that Ukraine will become a member of the Alliance. This has been said several times," Stoltenberg said.
He noted that Ukraine has the right to choose its own path.
"It is not Moscow that decides what Ukraine can do, but Ukraine. And it is the NATO allies that decide the issue of membership... and, of course, NATO's door remains open," he added.
At the same time, Stoltenberg said that first it is necessary to ensure Ukraine's victory in the war against Russia.
"I also firmly believe that all allies will say that of course the most urgent task now is to ensure the victory of Ukraine. That President Putin will not win this war. Because only if Ukraine wins as a sovereign independent state in Europe does it make sense to discuss, when and how Ukraine can become a member of the Alliance," he said.
The NATO Secretary General also expects to agree on a multi-year program for Ukraine in which allies will work on how to help Ukraine transition from Soviet-era standards, doctrines and equipment to standard NATO doctrines and equipment, and become fully compatible with NATO. He emphasized that this will help Ukraine move towards NATO membership.
It will be recalled that Stoltenberg stated that all NATO members support Ukraine's accession to the Alliance.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyі called on NATO to take a positive decision regarding Ukraine's membership at the summit in Vilnius.
