Ukraine will become 33rd or 34th member of NATO — Mark Rutte
Ukraine could become the 33rd or 34th member of the North Atlantic Alliance, which currently has 32 members, the recently appointed Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, said during a press conference with journalists in Brussels.
"This means that yes, in the future NATO will have Ukraine as its 33rd or 34th member. Currently, everything looks like Ukraine will become the 33rd member. But maybe someone else will jump ahead. But Ukraine will be a member of NATO in the future — that's what we decided in Washington. It's just a question of timing," he said.
He added that NATO is currently working to ensure that the promised bilateral support reaches Ukraine, coordinating efforts to reconstruct Ukraine and bring it closer to NATO standards.
The issue of Ukraine joining NATO is the first point of Ukraine's victory plan, which was publicly presented by Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"For decades, Russia has exploited geopolitical uncertainty in Europe — namely, the fact that Ukraine is not a member of NATO. And this is exactly what tempted Russia to encroach on our security. And now the fact of inviting Ukraine to NATO can become truly fundamental for peace," the president believes.
However, US envoy to NATO Julianne Smith earlier noted that NATO does not plan to invite Ukraine to join the Alliance in the near future.s