NATO Decides to Accept Ukraine and Georgia, Stoltenberg Elaborates

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has decided to accept Ukraine and Georgia, although no deadline has been set. This was stated by the organization’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in an interview published today by the La Repubblica newspaper.

“Ukraine has already applied for membership, and we have decided to work in that direction by supporting its reforms, helping to modernize its armed forces in accordance with our standards. In 2008, we decided that Ukraine and Georgia would become NATO members, but we did not specify when,” Stoltenberg said.

In his view, Ukraine now possesses a significantly enhanced defense capability compared to 2014. The Secretary General also reminded that the principle of collective defense applies only to NATO member countries. “However, Kyiv is still not part of NATO. The commitment to defend allies applies only to NATO members,” he emphasized.

Stoltenberg also noted that the decision regarding NATO membership is up to Ukraine and the 30 NATO member countries.