Ukraine Must Win War to Join NATO

NATO is okay to welcome Ukraine as its member, provided it tastes victory in the ongoing war against Russia.

Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the alliance, said at a briefing Feb. 15 that “Ukraine will become a member of the Alliance, but the focus now is to ensure that Ukraine wins the war…. (The only way to ensure that Ukraine can move toward closer Euro-Atlantic cooperation) is to ensure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign independent nation.”

“So the main focus of the allies is to ensure that Ukraine gets the weapons, the ammunition, the supplies they need to push back the Russian invaders,” said the NATO secretary-general.

NATO is also working on a longer-term partnership “to help Ukraine to move from Soviet-era weapons, doctrines, standards to NATO standards, to improve interoperability on security and defense,” which will all move Ukraine closer to the alliance.

The proof that military and financial support is efficient is Ukraine’s “progress on the battlefield,” stressed Stoltenberg.

Stoltenberg said doors of the alliance will remain open.

Montenegro and North Macedonia recently became NATO members despite Russia actively resisting their accession. Two other countries – Sweden and Finland – who are close to joining the NATO, were invited to a meeting held by the North Atlantic Council in Brussels on Feb. 15.