The problem with inviting Ukraine to NATO is that it requires the consensus of all 32 members of the Alliance, which is currently absent. This was stated by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who added that there is no political common solution that will benefit not only Ukraine, but also NATO, for which Kyiv will be a full member, the correspondent of UNN reports.
When asked when Ukraine will join NATO and what is preventing it from doing so, Stoltenberg answered:
The problem is that when you invite a state to become a member of the treaty, we need not just a majority of 32 allies, we need all allies to agree. At the moment, we have not reached such an agreement. This is the reality. We are working on it, but until we have such agreement, until we have a political common decision that will benefit not only Ukraine, but also NATO, for which Ukraine will be a full member.
He noted that as soon as there is a political agreement, NATO will make a decision and Ukraine will join the Alliance immediately.
"But at the same time, we need to bring you (Ukrainians - ed.) as close to NATO as possible. I regret that we cannot move faster, but this is the reality of the Alliance, that consensus must be reached on any issue," Stoltenberg said during a meeting with officers who are taking professional military education courses according to NATO standards.
At the same time, Stoltenberg noted that all the allies have stated that Ukraine will be a NATO member state.
"I have stated this even today, that Ukraine has a rightful place in the union. We need to move towards this goal, to work hard to ensure that you are fully interoperable, meet all NATO standards, so that when the political decision comes, you can do it," Stoltenberg said.
Addendum
Earlier, Stoltenberg said that for Ukraine to become a NATO member, it would require consensus of all 32 members of the Alliance. This will probably not be achieved at the summit in July, but NATO will demonstrate progress in bringing Ukraine closer to membership.
Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna names key opponents of Ukraine's invitation to NATO.