Ukraine’s accession to NATO: discussions on Ukraine’s membership will take place "after the war" - State Department

Ukraine’s accession to NATO: discussions on Ukraine’s membership will take place "after the war" - State Department

The US State Department said that consideration of Ukraine’s accession to NATO is not expected at this year’s summit.

As US State Department spokesman Daniel Saizek said in a comment to Suspilne , discussions on Ukraine’s accession will probably take place “after the war.”

"NATO members know and understand that the Ukrainians want to become a NATO member immediately and as soon as possible. Frankly, this is not expected at the NATO summit this year ... perhaps after the war," Saizek said.

The American official recalled that this year the North Atlantic Alliance turns 75 years old. The "alliance is strengthened" and expanded by Finland’s entry in April 2023 and the final steps of Sweden’s entry.

Saizek notes that there are more and more conflicts in the world, and therefore there are also more challenges. Despite disagreements among NATO members, in the end the Alliance’s decision remains unanimous on Ukraine’s entry. He recalled that last year at the summit in Vilnius, all members of the Alliance repeated that “Ukraine has a place in NATO.”

The top priority now is to provide assistance to defend against Russian aggression, the official added.