All allies agree that Ukraine will become a NATO member, but first it must win the war against Russia, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in Vilnius on Monday.
On the eve of the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda met with Stoltenberg.
“We all understand that only a Ukrainian victory will bring security and stability back to Europe. [...] Vilnius must be the place where good news reaches Ukraine,” the president said after the meeting.
Stoltenberg noted, however, that Ukraine’s victory against Russia is necessary for it to become a NATO member.
“Of course, the final decisions will be taken when all allies agree and when all leaders meet tomorrow. It is too early to talk about concrete decisions and concrete language. It is very important to underline that all allies agree that Ukraine will become a NATO member,” said the NATO secretary general.
“The most important task now is to ensure that Ukraine wins the war. Until Ukraine wins, we cannot talk about its membership. It is vital that we continue to provide all the support, arms, ammunition, training for Ukrainian troops, and the necessary parts to help Ukraine win back as much territory as possible,” he added.
Stoltenberg did not comment on whether NATO has agreed to exempt Ukraine from the Membership Action Plan (MAP) but said that “at the summit, I am certain that we will have unity and a strong message on Ukraine”.
The Central and Eastern European countries are supporting the calls to pace the way to Ukraine’s NATO membership in Vilnius.
But in a recent interview with CNN, US President Joe Biden said Ukraine was not yet ready for NATO membership and argued that Russia’s war in Ukraine had to end before the country joined the alliance.
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