Kiev: Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed his support on Thursday for Ukraine joining the military alliance in the future, as he visited Kiev for the first time since Russia’s dispute with Ukraine in February last year.
“Ukraine’s rightful place is in the Euro-Atlantic family. Ukraine’s rightful place is in Nato,” Stoltenberg said at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“And over time, our support will help to make this possible,” the top Nato official added.
In early April, Stoltenberg announced a new support programme for Ukraine to pave its way to membership.
The initiative, which is expected to run for several years, is intended to make it easier for the country to adapt to the alliance’s standards and to enable seamless cooperation with Nato.
On Thursday, Stoltenberg called the programme “a testament to Nato’s long-term commitment to Ukraine.” There is however no time-frame for Ukraine’s accession to the alliance.
Stoltenberg previously stressed that Ukraine would have to survive the war as a democratic, independent nation before it could become a member.
Following Stoltenberg’s arrival in Kiev, Russia reaffirmed its wartime goal of preventing Ukraine from joining the military alliance.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, as reported by the Interfax news agency, that Russia saw itself threatened by Ukraine’s possible Nato membership “because otherwise this brings a serious,significant danger to our country, to its security.”
During his visit to Ukraine, Stoltenberg met for talks with Zelensky and his government, visited the city of Bucha, paid respect to the victims of the war and laid a wreath, a press release said.
Since the beginning of the war, Stoltenberg has been considered a tireless supporter of Ukraine and has continuously argued for new arms deliveries to the Ukrainian armed forces.
“Nato stands with you today, tomorrow, and for as long as it takes,” Stoltenberg said in Kiev.
“We do not know when this war will end, but we know that Russian aggression is a toxic pattern that must be stopped,” he said.
“So we must continue strengthening Ukraine’s armed forces. And we must ensure that robust, powerful arrangements are in place for Ukraine’s security,” he added. — dpa
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