Kuleba: 'NATO shouldn't keep Ukraine in limbo when it comes to membership'

Liliane Bivings -

NATO shouldn’t keep “the whole situation and Ukraine in limbo when it comes to membership," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told Bloomberg Television in an interview on July 11.

NATO allies adopted a multi-year assistance program for Ukraine at a summit in Vilnius on July 11, but stop short of extending an invitation to the defense alliance.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said during the summit that Ukraine would be able to join when the "allies agree and conditions are met."

Kuleba also told Bloomberg that all conditions were already in place for Ukraine to receive a formal invitation from NATO allies at the summit and that Ukraine would continue to work with NATO members on a timeline for ascension.

“The shorter it will be, the better it will be for everyone,” Kuleba said.

Vilnius summit brings Ukraine closer to NATO, but direct invitation withheld
NATO allies adopted a three-part support package for Ukraine, which includes removing the requirement to undergo the Membership Action Plan, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said during the Vilnius summit on July 11. Ukraine will receive an invitation to join NATO when “the allies agree, and…
The Kyiv IndependentDinara Khalilova