NATO Allies Agree on Ukraine Membership.
Throughout the war, Jens Stoltenberg repeatedly promised that Ukraine will join NATO. In the meantime, the Kremlin maintains that this is one of the objectives of its war in Ukraine.
According to Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, all NATO allies have agreed that Ukraine will join.
Ahead of a meeting of the Ukraine defense contact group at Ramstein air base in Germany, he told reporters that once the conflict in Ukraine ends, Kyiv must have “the deterrent to prevent new attacks.”
He stated that the current priority is to ensure victory over Russia.
During his first visit to Kyiv since Russia’s invasion a little over a year ago, Mr. Stoltenberg yesterday pledged continued support for the country.
“Let me be clear, Ukraine’s rightful place is within the Euro-Atlantic family,” he stated at a news conference.
“Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO.”
In the meantime, Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, stated on Thursday that preventing Ukraine’s membership in NATO remains one of the objectives of what Moscow refers to as its “special military operation.”
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According to him, Ukraine’s accession would pose a “serious, significant threat to our country’s security.”
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated earlier this year that he was appreciative of the invitation to join the alliance, but that his country requires a membership roadmap.
After Russia invaded Ukraine, Finland joined NATO in May, abandoning decades of military neutrality to seek protection under the organization’s security umbrella.
The accession doubled the length of NATO’s border with the country, dealing a significant political blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Sweden, a neighboring nation, is also expected to join, but Turkey has thus far resisted due to “security concerns”.
Alone, NATO allies have trained tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and provided €65 billion (£57 billion) in military aid.
On Friday, the Canadian government announced an additional $28.9 million (£23.3 million) in military aid, including 40 sniper rifles, 16 radio sets, and a donation to a NATO fund to assist Kyiv in the war.
Both Denmark and the Netherlands stated a day earlier that they intend to provide Ukraine with at least 14 additional refurbished Leopard 2 battle tanks by early 2024 – tanks that Ukraine requested from Western nations to equip its forces with the firepower necessary to retake occupied territory.
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