NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a press conference in Kiev, Ukraine, April 20, 2023. Portal/Alina Yarysh
rt — While NATO wants to support Kiev in its fight against Russia, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that a serious discussion about Ukraine’s membership in the alliance would only be possible after the end of the conflict.
Asked at a joint press conference with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas about Ukraine’s prospects in NATO, Stoltenberg reiterated that all Alliance members agree that Kyiv will eventually become part of NATO, although he gave no specific dates.
“The most urgent task now is to ensure that Ukraine remains a sovereign and independent nation in Europe.” [o presidente russo Vladimir] “Putin is winning this war, so there is no accession issue to discuss,” he noted.
Stoltenberg added that Ukraine’s victory was “a prerequisite for any meaningful discussion of future membership” and that in the meantime NATO was trying to help Ukraine achieve full interoperability with NATO forces and the political Relations with Kiev strengthen.
Kiev has been aiming for NATO membership for several years. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted an accelerated application last September after four former Ukrainian regions voted overwhelmingly to join Russia.
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However, the USled alliance has so far hesitated to accept Kiev’s candidacy.
With that in mind, Stoltenberg this month ruled out that Kiev would receive an invitation to join the alliance at the NATO summit in Vilnius in midJuly. Commenting on these statements last week, Zelenskyy urged the head of the alliance “not to pull the rug out from under us,” implying that such an attitude could demoralize Ukrainian troops fighting Russia.
Russian officials have repeatedly warned of further NATO expansion. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said one of the goals of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine is to prevent the country from joining the alliance, as it would pose a “serious threat” to Moscow’s security.