Ukraine's Defence Minister: No NATO allies opposed Kyiv's invitation to join
Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umierov has said that none of the allies voiced any objections during discussions regarding Kyiv's invitation to join NATO.
Source: Umierov to Ukrainian journalists in Brussels on 18 October, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine
Details: The NATO – Ukraine Council meeting took place on Thursday evening as part of the meeting of defence ministers from the member countries of the Alliance.
Asked how the discussion regarding Ukraine's invitation to join the Alliance went during the NATO – Ukraine Council meeting, Umierov said the following:
Quote: "I'll be honest: it wasn't a matter of someone willing or not willing [to have Ukraine as NATO member]. There was none of that. Everyone wants Ukraine to be in NATO. There were more questions about how we can help right now. How quickly this can be done (inviting Ukraine to join – ed.) is an internal matter they will discuss among themselves. But in the room [where they discussed it out openly], I didn't hear anything against it at all. Nothing at all. I didn't hear anything negative."
Background:
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented his Victory Plan, which consists of five points and three secret appendices, to the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) on 16 October.
- In particular, the first point on the plan calls for Ukraine to be invited to join NATO immediately.
- On 16 October, US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said that NATO does not plan to invite Ukraine to join the Alliance "in the short term", despite this being the first point of the Victory Plan put forward by Zelenskyy.
- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that Ukraine will join the Alliance as its 33rd or 34th member in the future.
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