President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that it was time for NATO to invite Ukraine to join the military alliance under an accelerated procedure.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Kyiv with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who made an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Thursday, Zelensky said he had been invited to the next NATO summit in July, but that was not enough.
"I am grateful for the invitation to attend the summit, but it is also important for Ukraine to be invited to join the alliance," he told reporters during a press conference.
"There is no objective barrier to a political decision to invite Ukraine to join the alliance, and now that most people in NATO countries and most Ukrainians support joining NATO, it is time for appropriate decisions," Zelensky emphasized.
For his part, Stoltenberg noted that Ukraine's application for NATO membership, which it had submitted last September, and security guarantees would be high on the agenda of the July summit of the alliance.
"President Zelensky has raised the issue of membership and security guarantees for Ukraine. And this will be an important element of the agenda at this meeting, and NATO is preparing for this. The future of Ukraine is in the Euro-Atlantic family. Ukraine's future is in NATO. All Allies agree on this," Stoltenberg said.
At the same time, he said, the main focus of NATO member states "is now on ensuring that Ukraine wins" the war against russia and that it "continues to be a sovereign, independent democratic state in Europe."
"Since this is the only way to have a meaningful discussion about Ukraine's future membership in the Alliance," the NATO Secretary General added.
"Ukraine's rightful place is in NATO. And over time, our support will help you make that possible," Stoltenberg emphasized.
Despite Stoltenberg's words of support and encouragement, analysts believe that Ukraine's application for NATO membership will face significant obstacles and may take years to be approved.
In addition to the active phase of the ongoing war in Ukraine, NATO members such as Hungary and Turkey are likely to be reluctant to further irritate russia by accepting Ukraine into the alliance.