North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on the 21st (local time) that Ukraine would eventually become a member of NATO once the Russo-U.S. war ends.
According to the British Guardian, Secretary General Stoltenberg told reporters before the 11th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Liaison Group (UDCG) held at the U.S. Air Base Ramstein in Germany that day, “All NATO allies agreed that Ukraine should become a member.” said.
“(Volodimir) Zelensky (Ukraine) also has very clear expectations,” he added, “we discussed them.” Stoltenberg made a surprise visit to Ukraine on the 20th and met with President Zelensky.
However, it was premised that “the current priority is to ensure Ukrainian supremacy.”
Stoltenberg said, “We need to ensure Ukraine’s security as well as the membership issue. Because no one knows when or how this war will end,” he said.
After meeting with President Zelensky the previous day, Stoltenberg said, “At the NATO summit in July, the issue of joining Ukraine will be on the agenda.” President Zelensky will attend the NATO summit in Lithuania in July.
Ukraine has been pushing for NATO accession for a long time. At the 2008 summit, NATO issued a declaration promising to ‘promise’ approval of membership, but time passed sluggishly without suggesting a specific time and method.
But it also means an expansion of Western military alliances that Russia is wary of. Russia used this as one of its reasons for invading Ukraine, calling it a “serious security threat to Russia.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.