( Observer Network ) On September 30 local time, Ukraine officially signed an application for Ukraine to join NATO . NATO has repeatedly responded cautiously to this.
On October 2, NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg said, "Any decision on membership must be made in a consensus manner and all 30 allies must agree."
On September 30th local time, Ukrainian President Zelensky , Speaker Stefanchuk and Prime Minister Smigal signed Ukraine's application to accelerate the accession to NATO. Source: Ukrainian News Agency
On September 30th, Zelensky posted a video on social media, saying that he had signed a formal application to accelerate the accession to NATO. "In fact, we have entered NATO," Zelensky said in a statement attached to the video. "Today (September 30), Ukraine is submitting an application to make it law."
NATO's response to Ukraine's "decisive move".
According to the Ukrainian National News Agency on October 1, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kureba spoke with NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg on October 1, and the two sides discussed Ukraine's application for joining NATO. Kureba posted a message on his official social account that day that the two sides agreed to keep in touch on this issue during the call.
On October 2, Stoltenberg responded publicly to Zelensky's application in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" program: "NATO has an open policy that every country (including Ukraine) has the right to choose its own path, including which organization it wants to be."
But he added that "At the same time, any decision on membership must be made in a consensus manner, and all 30 allies must agree." Stoltenberg stated that the priority of NATO allies is still to "support Ukraine."
Stoltenberg's above response is "as true" as his previous statement. On September 30, when asked whether Zelensky signed the Ukrainian application to join NATO, whether NATO was ready to consider the application, and whether it would consider a quick "entry" procedure such as Sweden and Finland, Stoltenberg replied, "We have repeatedly stated that NATO's door remains open." He stressed that "membership needs to be decided by 30 allies and we will make a decision in a consensus way." He pointed out that the focus is now on providing support to Ukraine immediately.
Regarding Zelensky's application, NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg's two statements did not reveal a signal of supporting "Ukraine's accelerated accession to NATO." In addition, the United States, which is "worried" about the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, does not seem to be in a hurry to qualify Ukraine as a full member of NATO.
Assistant to the National Security Affairs of the U.S. President Sullivan said on September 30 that the United States firmly believes that NATO should pursue an open policy, but now is not the right time to consider Ukraine's joining NATO.
"At present, our view is that the best way we support Ukraine is to provide practical and broad support to Ukraine," Sullivan followed up and said, but "the relevant processes in Brussels (i.e., NATO) should be carried out at other times." He added that any country applying to join NATO requires consensus among all NATO members.
The matter of Ukraine's application to accelerate its accession to NATO has caused huge differences in the US political arena. The American "politician" news network quoted sources on September 30 as saying that the matter was beyond the expectations of the Biden administration, and American politicians also had different opinions. Supporters claim that Ukraine’s battle with Russia is consistent with NATO’s purpose, but in the eyes of opponents, this would force NATO and the United States to be involved in the war with Russia, given the NATO “common defense treaty.”
99-year-old former US Secretary of State Kissinger also issued a warning on September 30 that it is not a wise approach to include Ukraine in NATO.
In August this year, the U.S. Senate approved NATO membership in Sweden and Finland. However, the two countries still need Hungary and Türkiye’s approval to become NATO members.
Vice Chairman of the Russian Federation Security Conference Medvedev On September 30, he responded to Zelensky's application for joining the contract. He posted on social media Telegram that "Ukrainian President Zelensky hopes to join NATO as soon as possible. Good idea. He just requested NATO to speed up the launch of World War III."
In December 2014, Ukraine revised its law to abandon its non-aligned status. In June 2016, Ukraine's accession to NATO was determined as a foreign policy goal. In February 2019, the Ukrainian Parliament passed a constitutional amendment, which determined Ukraine's policy of joining the EU and NATO. Ukraine has now become the sixth country to gain the status of NATO as a "enhanced partner country".
On August 26, local time, Medvedev, Vice Chairman of the Security Conference of the Russian Federation, said in an interview with French LCI TV that Russia launched a "special military operation" to avoid World War III, but now even if Ukraine gives up joining NATO, the Russian army will not "stop" it. Only by reaching a security agreement can the conflict end.
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