Ukraine's membership amid war 'not on agenda,' says NATO chief

GENEVA

Ukraine's NATO membership in the middle of the war is "not on the agenda," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday.

Stoltenberg's remarks came during the annual Brussels Forum organized by the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

He recalled last year's commitment in Madrid that Ukraine will become a member of the alliance, adding that the decision was first made in 2008.

"The most urgent and important task now is to ensure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign independent nation," he said.

"Because if Ukraine doesn't prevail, then there's no membership issue to discuss," he stressed.

Asked whether Russia's war makes it easier for Ukraine to get into NATO than before Feb. 24, 2022, the NATO chief said: "Yes and no."

"I think that everyone realized that to become a member in the midst of war is not on the agenda. And that's not the issue. The issue is more what happens when the war ends, in one way or another," he said.

Of course, the war ensures that Ukraine is becoming even closer to the alliance, he added.

He said he hopes that the member states will agree in the upcoming Vilnius summit on a multi-year program by NATO to help Ukraine's transition from Soviet-era doctrines and standards to NATO doctrines and standards.

"This sounds a bit technical, but it's extremely important," he said.

Lithuania will host a NATO summit in Vilnius on July 11-12.