Head of Pentagon Lloyd Austin expressed confidence that Ukraine will join NATO once the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is resolved, RIA News has reported.
According to Austin, the other alliance members share the same view, as demonstrated by the recent summit in Lithuania. The Pentagon chief stated that Ukraine needs reforms to join the alliance, but "they will happen over time." Austin did not provide a specific timeline for Ukraine's possible NATO membership, but noted that all alliance members agree that progress in this direction should happen as quickly as possible after the Ukrainian conflict is resolved.
At the summit in Lithuania, NATO countries approved a multi-year support package for Ukraine, consisting of three points: an assistance plan to enhance the compatibility of Ukrainian armed forces with NATO standards, the establishment of the NATO-Ukraine Council, and confirmation of Ukraine's right to join the North Atlantic Alliance without the precondition of completing an action plan for membership.
However, no specific timeline or conditions for Ukraine's official invitation to join the bloc, as demanded by Kyiv, were outlined. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also emphasized that for Ukraine, "the most important thing now is to remain a sovereign state in Europe, otherwise the discussion about NATO membership will not make sense at all." In recent years, Russia has expressed concern about NATO's unprecedented activity near its western borders.
The alliance expands its initiatives, calling it "deterring Russian aggression." Moscow has repeatedly stated that it poses no threat to anyone but will not ignore actions potentially harmful to its interests. Additionally, the Kremlin has noted the West's involvement of Kyiv in NATO.
Russian officials have acknowledged hearing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's request for NATO membership and noted various reactions to it. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov emphasized that Moscow is closely monitoring the situation and remembers that Kyiv's orientation toward the alliance was one of the reasons for Russia's intervention in Ukraine.
Ukraine applied to join NATO on September 30, 2022.
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