Stoltenberg hopes Ukraine to become NATO member in next 10 years

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has expressed hope that Ukraine will become a member of the North Atlantic Alliance within the next decade, reports German news agency dpa.

According to DW, Stoltenberg said in an interview published on 5 July, “I very much hope that Ukraine will become an ally.”

Ahead of the NATO summit in Washington, scheduled for 9-11 July, Stoltenberg called for increased military aid to Kyiv. He argued that stronger support could lead to a quicker end to the war initiated by Russia against Ukraine.

Stoltenberg, who will leave his post as Secretary General this autumn, warned about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s strategy.

“Putin believes he can outlast us. We need to convince him that he cannot outlast us, and then that will create the conditions for ending the war,” he said.

Despite Stoltenberg’s optimistic outlook, Christoph Heusgen, head of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), previously said that Ukraine’s NATO membership would not be on the agenda at the Washington summit.

However, Heusgen emphasized that “only NATO membership will provide Ukraine with a long-term perspective of peace,” as he believes any agreements with Russia lack real force.

At the upcoming summit, NATO leaders are expected to sign a commitment to provide Kyiv with €40 billion ($43 bn) in military aid in 2025. This figure matches the annual Western aid to Ukraine since Russia’s armed invasion in February 2022.

Reports also suggest that the 75th anniversary NATO summit in Washington will announce the creation of a new structure to coordinate all types of long-term assistance to Ukraine, called “NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine” (NSATU).

Discussions are underway about creating a special representative position in Kyiv to oversee international coordination of weapons supplies and training for the Ukrainian Armed Forces under NATO auspices.

However, despite these developments, Ukraine will not receive an invitation to join NATO at the Washington summit.

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