Ukraine is now closer to NATO membership than ever before - Stoltenberg
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (Getty Images)
Ukraine is now closer to NATO membership than ever before. This demonstrates a strategic mistake of the Kremlin's leader, Vladimir Putin, which he made by invading the country, says NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at Sweden's flag-raising ceremony near the Alliance headquarters.
"Ukraine will become a NATO ally. The question is not 'if,' but 'when,'" he said.
According to the NATO Secretary General, Ukraine is now closer to membership than ever before, and this also demonstrates a big strategic mistake made by Russian President Vladimir Putin when he invaded Ukraine.
"Because, as you remember, his purpose was to deny Ukraine to move towards NATO and EU. But also he demanded that NATO should make a declaration, sign a treaty with Russia that there should be no further NATO enlargement with any country in Europe. And now he has received the exact opposite. He wanted less NATO but getting more NATO, more NATO military presence in the eastern part of our Alliance. Finland and Sweden are full members, and Ukraine is closer to NATO membership than ever before," he stated.
Ukraine and NATO
On September 30, 2022, Ukraine applied for NATO membership under an accelerated procedure. Kyiv expected to receive an invitation to join NATO during the summer summit in Vilnius, but this did not happen.
Until now, there have been quite contradictory statements on the timing of Ukraine's accession to NATO. For example, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană recently stated that Ukraine would become part of the North Atlantic Alliance, but it is still unclear when exactly. Stoltenberg himself once noted that Ukraine would not be able to join NATO until the end of the war.
The foreign ministers of NATO allies provided Ukraine with recommendations for initial reforms to join the Alliance at a meeting in Brussels on November 29, 2023.
