NATO Chief: Ukraine Will Join NATO, But In the Long Term

Jens Stoltenberg, the head of NATO, stated on Tuesday that Ukraine will join the organization in the “long-term,” but emphasized that the country’s immediate concern is maintaining its independence in the face of Russian invasion.

During a visit to Helsinki, the capital of Finland, Stoltenberg said to reporters, “NATO allies have decided that Ukraine will become a member of our alliance, but at the same time that is a long-term perspective.

“The priority now is that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign independent nation, and as a result, we need to assist Ukraine,” continued Stoltenberg.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, has pleaded with the US-led military alliance to grant his nation a fast-track membership.

After Ukraine was invaded in February 2022, it submitted an application for EU membership, and in June, the EU granted Ukraine candidate status.

At a news conference with the prime minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, Stoltenberg said, “We need to make sure that history doesn’t repeat itself” after the war is over.

“President Putin must stop attacking his neighbours. He wants to rule Ukraine and is preparing for further conflict rather than peace.

In May 2022, Finland and Sweden submitted applications to join NATO after abandoning their long-standing military non-alignment policy in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

“I believe that NATO membership and membership in the European Union are essential for Ukraine’s future,” Marin continued.

Turkey and Hungary are the only two members who have not yet approved Finland and Sweden’s applications to join the alliance.

According to Stoltenberg, “both Finland and Sweden have fulfilled their commitments under the trilateral agreement they reached with Turkey in Madrid in June.”

The time has arrived to officially accept Finland and Sweden as members, he declared.