There will be no accelerated accession to NATO for Ukraine.
Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the Alliance, announced this today, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“Every democracy in Europe has the right to apply for NATO membership. The doors for entry are open. We have demonstrated this in recent years. NATO allies have clearly stated their support for Ukraine to choose its alliance. But this decision must be made by all 30 states.
Only with general consensus will we accept them. Our focus now is to provide immediate assistance to Ukraine against Russia's brutal aggression. Our main efforts are concentrated on this,” Stoltenberg said.
He stated that the alliance does not recognize Russia's new territories, listing regions in which referendums were recently held and mentioning Crimea.
“If Russia stops fighting, then there will be peace, if Ukraine stops fighting, then it will cease to exist as an independent state in Europe. NATO reaffirms its support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
We remain resolute in supporting Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russian aggression for as long as necessary,” Stoltenberg repeated this thesis several times.