Stoltenberg: Allies agreed on Ukraine's 'irreversible' path to NATO membership

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this during a press conference in Washington on Wednesday, July 10, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"In our meeting, we also decided to take further steps to bring Ukraine even closer to NATO. As Ukraine continues its vital reforms, we'll continue to support them [Ukrainians] on the irreversible path to NATO membership. The work we are doing together now will ensure that, when the time is right, Ukraine can join without delay. It is not the question of if but when," Stoltenberg said.

He said that NATO heads of state and government would meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky tomorrow in the NATO-Ukraine Council, but already today they took major decisions to further strengthen their support for Ukraine and share the financial burden.

In particular, Allies agreed to launch a new system of security assistance and training for Ukraine. The alliance will take over the coordination and provision of most of the international security assistance to Ukraine, with a command led by a three-star general and around 700 personnel working at NATO headquarters in Germany. At the same time, logistics hubs in the eastern part of the alliance will provide support to Ukraine.

"NATO will coordinate the training of Ukrainian forces at [educational] facilities in Allied countries, support Ukraine by planning and coordinating donations and manage the transfer and repair of [military] equipment. We will also provide support to the long-term development of Ukraine's Armed Forces. This will not make NATO a party to the conflict, but it will help Ukraine to uphold its right to self-defense," he said.

The NATO 75th anniversary summit is being held in Washington this week, with one of the main issues being the increase in military aid to Ukraine.

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