(GoRealNewsNow.com) – Ukraine, the pro-Western nation that has been resisting an all-out invasion by Putin’s Russia for nearly two years now, received a green light to join the US-led NATO alliance, as its secretary-general declared that “all allies agree” the embattled country would become a member.
In a seeming bid to restore the former Soviet empire, Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin, invaded Ukraine in February 2022. However, the Ukrainians surprisingly managed to bog down the Russians and even go on major counter-offensives, largely thanks to US-supplied military aid.
“Allies agree that Ukraine will become a member of NATO,” declared Jens Stoltenberg, the Norwegian politician who presides over the US-led pact of 31 nations, as cited by Breitbart News.
He outlined this week’s discussions, which will be centered on the “priority reforms” Ukraine needs to implement to qualify for membership in the organization.
Stoltenberg highlighted recent direct support for Ukraine, including establishing an air defense coalition, billions in new funding, and the inauguration of an F-16 training center in Romania for Ukrainian pilots.
While Stoltenberg firmly stated that Ukraine would join NATO, gaining the Article 5 protections that obligate all members to collective defense if one is attacked in Europe or North America, he also emphasized that Ukraine’s membership would be conditional on significant changes.
As he specified, these reforms involve achieving “full interoperability between Ukrainian forces and NATO forces… based on NATO doctrines and training procedures”.
Additionally, he clarified that Ukraine must not be engaged in an active war.
“All Allies agree that in the midst of a war full membership is not possible. But of course, we will continue to look into to address how we can move Ukraine and NATO even closer together,” Stoltenberg said.
This is not the first instance of Stoltenberg asserting Ukraine’s eventual NATO membership.
However, previous similar statements have drawn criticism. For instance, Hungary’s pro-Russian Prime Minister Viktor Orban expressed surprise in April to Stoltenberg’s announcement that “all NATO allies have agreed that Ukraine will become a NATO member.”
Germany, too, has advised caution regarding Ukraine’s swift induction into the alliance.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz, noting that post-war Ukraine will be equipped with Western-made weapons, suggested that security guarantees should be discussed at that juncture.
He stated that 2023 should focus on “concentrating on what is coming up” and that NATO is “far from” ready to admit Ukraine as a member.