VILNIUS (dpa-AFX) – According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO member states have not yet made a final decision on Ukraine’s accession prospects. Consultations on the conditions for Ukraine’s path to NATO membership are still ongoing, he said on Monday in Vilnius after a meeting with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda. Stoltenberg went on to emphasize that he was certain, however, that the allies would have a good, strong and positive message at the NATO summit. The two-day top meeting begins on Tuesday in Vilnius.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had previously welcomed an alleged agreement between NATO members on Twitter, according to which Ukraine could join the military alliance in a simplified way similar to Finland. Accordingly, the NATO allies had reached a consensus on abandoning the membership action plan.
When asked, Stoltenberg only said that the 31 allies were still discussing and negotiating the exact wording. So he won’t go into detail about it.
Nauseda said that abandoning the action plan is a “very positive step forward” and will simplify Ukraine’s path to NATO. “But we also need a very clear signal that Ukraine’s membership of NATO is really possible if the conditions allow it,” said the Lithuanian head of state, according to the English translation./awe/DP/ngu