"Ukraine’s future is in NATO," alliance members reaffirm in joint declaration
NATO allies on Tuesday reaffirmed their support for Ukraine's push for membership of the alliance, according to a final declaration issued by the 31-member group at a summit in Lithuania.
We reaffirm the commitment made at the NATO Summit in Bucharest in 2008 that Ukraine will become a member of NATO, and today we recognized that Ukraine's path to full Euro-Atlantic integration has gone beyond the need for (the implementation of) a Membership Action Plan. Ukraine has become more interoperable and politically integrated with the Alliance and has made significant progress on its reform agenda.
NATO Foreign Ministers will regularly assess this progress through agreed Annual National Programs. The Alliance will support Ukraine in implementing these reforms on its path to full membership in the future.
We will be in a position to extend an invitation for Ukraine to join the Alliance when allies agree and when all conditions are met.
Allied Heads of State and Government emphasized that Ukraine's security is of great importance to the allies and the Alliance as a whole. To support Ukraine's further integration into NATO, they agreed on a significant package of political and practical assistance, such as the NATO-Ukraine Council.
Allies reaffirmed that the delivery of urgently needed non-lethal assistance to Ukraine under NATO's Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP) remains a priority. Since the Madrid Summit, Allies and partners have already committed more than €500 million to its implementation.
