Nato commits to future Ukraine membership, drums up aid

His remarks come as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Nato counterparts gather in Romania to drum up support for Ukraine as Russia bombards energy infrastructure

Stoltenberg repeated a vow made by Nato in Bucharest in 2008 that Ukraine and Georgia would join the alliance one day

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Published: 7:40pm, 29 Nov 2022Updated: 7:44pm, 29 Nov 2022

Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg reaffirmed the military alliance’s commitment to Ukraine on Tuesday, saying that the war-torn nation will one day become a member of the world’s largest security organisation.

Stoltenberg’s remarks came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Nato counterparts gathered in Romania to drum up urgently-needed support for Ukraine aimed at ensuring that Moscow fails to defeat Ukraine as it bombards energy infrastructure.

“Nato’s door is open,” Stoltenberg said. “Russia does not have a veto” on countries joining, he said in reference to the recent entry of North Macedonia and Montenegro into the security alliance.

He also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin “will get Finland and Sweden as Nato members” soon. The Nordic neighbours applied for membership in April, concerned that Russia might target them next.

“We stand by that, too, on membership for Ukraine,” the former Norwegian prime minister said. “At the same time, the main focus now is on supporting Ukraine, ensuring that President Putin doesn’t win, but that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign nation in Europe.”

In essence, Stoltenberg repeated a vow made by Nato in Bucharest in 2008 – in the same sprawling Palace of the Parliament where the foreign ministers are meeting this week – that Ukraine, and also Georgia, would join the alliance one day.

Some officials and analysts believe this move – pressed on the Nato allies by former US president George W Bush – was partly responsible for the war that Russia launched on Ukraine in February. Stoltenberg disagreed.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) shakes hands with Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis as they attend a visit at the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest on November 29, 2022. Photo: AFP

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