Nine NATO countries in Central and Eastern Europe have “backed a path” for Ukraine to join the alliance and called on the 30 member states to increase military aid to Kiev.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a surprise move on Friday to apply for fast-track NATO membership after Russia annexed four Ukrainian regions.
All 30 members must approve the application for membership, and Ukraine is unlikely to join the pact anytime soon. Also, being a country already at war complicates the demand.
The nine NATO members have demanded a response to the annexation as they worry that Russia could target them next if it does not stop in Ukraine.
The leaders of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania and Slovakia released a joint statement on their websites saying: “We support Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression , we demand (that Russia) withdraw immediately from all occupied territories and encourage all allies to significantly increase their military aid to Ukraine.”
In the statement they said the leaders “stood firmly behind the decision of the 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest regarding Ukraine’s future membership”.
At the 2008 summit, NATO members welcomed Ukraine’s and Georgia’s aspirations to join, but declined to provide a clear timeline for the two countries’ possible accession. Sunday’s statement did not even mention a time frame.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg did not elaborate when asked about Zelensky’s appeal to join.