Stoltenberg on Ukraine's NATO bid: principled decisions already made by allies but discussions continue

The NATO member states have already adopted principled decisions regarding Ukraine's future membership in the Alliance, but are continuing consultations on the ways for their practical implementation.

This was announced by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday, Ukrinform's own correspondent reports.

"There are consultations (regarding Ukraine's membership in NATO - ed.) going on now. And I think I can only make those consultations more difficult if I go into different elements or pre-empt the conclusions,” said Stoltenberg.

At the same time, he said he already can state that the allies “actually agreed” that Ukraine will eventually become a NATO member.

He noted that the Allies agree to an open-door policy, and that this was demonstrated when Finland and Sweden received invitations to join the Alliance in Madrid.

Another fundamental achievement is that all allies agree that Ukraine will become a member of NATO, which was repeatedly emphasized at all levels of NATO and member states, Stoltenberg emphasized.

The third point, which is important for all allies, is that the decision on the right time when Ukraine will join NATO will be made by Ukraine and all member states, he said.

"But perhaps most importantly, we agree that the most urgent task now is to ensure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign and independent nation” and that without this precondition, “there’s no membership issue to be discussed at all," Stoltenberg stressed.

He expressed hope that during the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius, the allies would find a good solution to the issue, adding that the starting point is that the Allies have agreed on all the points mentioned above.

As reported earlier, the next NATO summit will be held in Vilnius on July 11-12, during which Ukraine expects to receive a clear roadmap for advancing to full membership in NATO, as well as receive security guarantees for the period required to join the Alliance.