Ukraine could be invited to join NATO at any moment, says Deputy PM

Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, says Ukraine’s invitation to join NATO remains on the Alliance's agenda and can be extended at any moment.

Source: Stefanishyna in a column for NV on the results of the NATO summit in Washington, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Stefanishyna pointed out that the allies clearly stated in the summit declaration that Ukraine’s path to NATO is irreversible. She noted that the negotiations on this wording had not been easy.

Quote: "However, together with our friends, we have realised how important it is to ensure that the future of Ukrainians cannot be a bargaining chip in negotiations with the aggressor. No threats, challenges, or elections will change the fact that Ukraine's future is in NATO," Stefanishyna wrote.

This has been agreed by 32 NATO member states, and any changes to this decision will require a unanimous consensus, she added.

"The invitation for Ukraine remains on the agenda and may be extended at any moment. While we await that moment, Ukraine is becoming increasingly militarily and politically integrated with the Alliance," the deputy prime minister asserted.

Background:

• NATO’s Washington Summit Declaration states that Ukraine's path to the Alliance is irreversible. However, the summit did not extend an invitation for Ukraine to join the Alliance, as there is no consensus among the member states.
• The declaration specifies that NATO leaders will be able to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join "when the Allies agree and conditions are met."

Read more: NATO is inevitable: What the Washington summit's decision means for Ukraine's membership

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