US Ambassador to NATO comments on possibility of inviting Ukraine to join alliance
Photo: Ambassador Julianne Smith, Permanent Representative of the United States to NATO (facebook.com Julianne Smith)
This summer, NATO emphasized that Ukraine will inevitably become a member of the Alliance. Negotiations are currently underway to move closer to accession, stated US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith during an online briefing for journalists.
"On invitation, I think NATO's position on this has been very clear. We stated this summer at the 75th-anniversary summit that Ukraine is on an irreversible path of membership and that Ukraine will become a member of the alliance," the Ambassador stated.
She also commented on Ukraine's desire to receive an invitation to join NATO.
"We are not at the point right now where the alliance is talking about issuing an invitation in the short term. But as always, we will continue conversations with our friends in Ukraine to talk to them about ways in which they can continue to move closer to this alliance," Julianne Smith said.
Ukraine's accession to NATO
During the full-scale war, Ukraine has made progress regarding its accession to NATO and the European Union.
At the beginning of 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine was signing an application for accelerated accession to NATO. Immediately after this, Ukraine expected a clear timetable for joining the Alliance and called for a political decision on the invitation.
However, these decisions have not yet been made.
NATO has repeatedly stated that it is keeping the door open for Ukraine. At the same time, allies hint that Ukraine will not be able to join the Alliance until the war is over.
It should be noted that Zelenskyy stated that an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO is part of the victory plan.
