NATO Secretary GeneralJens Stoltenbergaffirmed today that, when the war between Russia and Ukraine ends, that country’s path towards joining the Atlantic Alliance will form part of the security guarantees for kyiv.
“When the war and there is some kind of deal, then I think all the NATO allies will have to sit down and agree exactly what kind of “security deals” for Ukraine they decide on, Stoltenberg said at a news conference following a two-party Alliance summit. days in Vilnius.
“Part of this will also be the path of accession, because we have agreed that the future of Ukraine is in the NATO. We reaffirm that Ukraine will become a member,” she added.
Stoltenberg welcomed “that many allies have now committed to providing long-term security assistance to Ukraine”: “This will help deter any future aggression from Russia after this war ends,” he said.
In parallel to the summit, the leaders of the G7 and the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelenskythey signed a declaration in which they expressed the commitment to guarantee the security of Ukraine in the long term and to coordinate with kyiv before any attack from Russia in the future to determine “the appropriate steps”.
The objective is to prevent future attacks and offer some security to Ukraine until it can complete its accession process to the Atlantic Alliance, something that will only be possible once the war with Russia ends.
Stoltenberg assured that, on behalf of NATO, they have agreed at this summit on “concrete tools, political toolspractical tools to help Ukraine move towards membership.”
“Of course, everyone understands that a good decision cannot be made before there is some kind of end to this war,” he said.
Asked if those future security agreements could include the dispatch of troops to Ukrainian territory, Stoltenberg stated that “it is now incorrect to speculate exactly how this will be done in the future after the end of the war.”
“The most important thing now is to ensure that the war ends in a way just and lasting”, hence the importance of maintaining continuous military support, Stoltenberg said.
He recalled that this conflict is “a war of attrition” and “logistics”, which involves sending different advanced weapons systems to Ukraine, but also providing proper maintenance for those already there, as well as providing ammunition and spare parts.
“Without the maintenance of all systems, Ukrainians will not be able to defend their land and liberate territory,” he argued.
Zelensky appreciates NATO’s support, although an invitation to join would have been “optimal”