BRUSSELS, September 30 – Novosti. NATO will focus on helping Kyiv defend itself, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told journalists in Brussels, commenting on Volodymyr Zelensky’s statement about preparing an application for accelerated entry into the bloc.
The Secretary General confirmed that each country has the right to determine its own path. He also recalled that NATO adheres to an “open door” policy, which has been demonstrated in recent years. At the same time, the decision on the membership of any state is made by all 30 allies unanimously, Stoltenberg noted.
As for Ukraine , the alliance is focused on helping Kiev organize self-defense.
“Now this is the main task of the alliance,” the NATO Secretary General emphasized.
Earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Kyiv had filed an application to join NATO in an expedited manner. His statement was made after Vladimir Putin and the heads of the DPR , LPR , Zaporozhye and Kherson regions signed agreements on the annexation of regions to Russia .
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in December 2014 amended two laws, abandoning the non-bloc status of the state. In February 2019, the Ukrainian parliament adopted amendments to the constitution, securing the country’s course towards the EU and NATO. Ukraine has become the sixth state to receive NATO Enhanced Opportunities Partner status.
Representatives of official Washington have repeatedly stated that at this stage the possibility of Ukraine’s entry into NATO is not being considered. At the same time, the United States emphasized that the alliance would never abandon the “open door” policy, and did not rule out that Kiev could try to join the organization in the future.
