Alliance to prioritize Ukraine’s victory over NATO membership – Stoltenberg

At the moment, the priority for the North Atlantic Alliance is not Ukraine's membership in NATO but providing the necessary support so that it can win in the confrontation with russia.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated this on February 15 at a press conference after the NATO ministerial meeting, according to a correspondent of the "European Pravda" from Brussels.

"As for Ukraine, NATO's position has not changed. We have repeatedly said that Ukraine will become a member of the Alliance, but now the Alliance is focused on ensuring Ukraine's victory in the war.

Because the only way for Ukraine's integration and further movement towards closer Euro-Atlantic cooperation is to ensure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign state," Stoltenberg noted.

The Secretary General of the Alliance emphasized that now NATO allies are focused on ensuring that Ukraine "receives the weapons, supplies, and ammunition it needs to oust the Russian invaders."

"We are also working on a longer-term partnership to help Ukraine make a transition from Soviet doctrines and weapons to NATO standards, improve interoperability, and carry out security and defense reform. And this will bring Ukraine closer to the Alliance," the NATO leader added.

It should be noted that on September 30, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky,  announced that Ukraine had signed an application for accelerated accession to the North Atlantic Alliance.

He also called on Western partners to implement the proposals for security guarantees prepared by Ukraine, outlined in the Kyiv Security Treaty.

In turn, the NATO Secretary General stated that Ukraine has the right to apply for membership, but the current top priority is assistance.

The President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda, previously expressed hope that at the NATO summit in July in Vilnius, new formulations will be found regarding Ukraine's membership in the Alliance.