NATO does not currently have plans to invite Ukraine into the alliance in the immediate future, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said on Oct. 16.
"I think NATO's position on this is very clear. We stated at the 75th anniversary summit this summer that Ukraine is on an irreversible path to membership and that Ukraine will become a member of the Alliance. We are not at the stage where the Alliance is discussing issuing an invitation in the short term," Smith said ahead of a NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels, Voice of America reported.
"But, as always, we will continue talks with our friends in Ukraine about how they can move toward the Alliance," Smith added.
Smith's comments come as President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly unveiled his five-point victory plan, which include Ukraine's invitation to join NATO placed atop of the list.
"If the plan is supported, we can end the war no later than next year," Zelensky said in the parliament in the presence of Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, and Western diplomats.
Kyiv submitted its application to join in September 2022, and in July 2024 the alliance affirmed Ukraine's "irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership" - though Ukraine has not received any definitive news about its future accession.
According to the information obtained by the Kyiv Independent, Kyiv had planned to ask for NATO membership within the months, not years.
The Financial Times (FT) reported on Oct. 1, citing an unnamed Western official, that U.S. President Joe Biden may agree to advance the status of Ukraine's NATO membership bid before leaving office in January. It is unclear as to whether Smith's comments suggest a possible policy shift by the Biden administration.
According to Zelensky, who has repeatedly called on partners to issue a membership invitation to Kyiv, Ukraine will join NATO only after Russia's full-scale war ends.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
