NATO announced that it would not admit a member that could drag the entire bloc into a war, especially if that opponent is a great power like Russia.
A senior Ukrainian diplomatic official recently said that the Kiev government is no longer determined to become a NATO member immediately but will patiently wait until the conflict with Russia ends, because this is also the decision of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
It is known that Mr. Zelensky’s administration has applied to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on an expedited basis in September 2022, more than half a year after Russia launched its Special Military Operation in Ukraine.
However, NATO officials and some member countries have flatly rejected this request on the grounds that “admitting Ukraine while the country is in military conflict is inappropriate” and until now. Currently, the bloc is limited to discussing military support for Kiev.
On April 8, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Turkey, Mr. Vasyl Bodnar, said that the Kiev government currently does not insist that this country join NATO, especially immediately as when Kiev applied. join the North Atlantic Alliance on an accelerated basis in September 2022.
In an interview with the Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak, Vasyl Bodnar noted that the issue of admitting the country to the union could be discussed after the conflict with Russia ends.
At the present time, Kiev only wants NATO to clearly define the conditions for Ukraine to be admitted and wants to set a date to discuss this issue, but at the present time, Ukraine has no requirement to join. alliance, the most important thing is that the bloc must provide weapons to the country’s Armed Forces immediately.
This diplomat emphasized that Ukraine wants an answer in the days when the bloc hosts the NATO Leaders’ Summit in Washington, to be held next July.
It is known that the New York Times recently reported that, on the agenda of the NATO Summit in Washington, admitting Ukraine as a member of the bloc will not be discussed.
The American publication clarified that this military bloc has no plans to accept a new member, because that could draw the entire bloc into a conflict.
Previously, the head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of NATO countries, Mr. Yegor Chernev, said that the alliance “can reserve a place for Ukraine after the conflict with Russia ends”.