NATO Confirms Ukraine’s Membership Path

(MENAFN) On the brink of a two-day NATO conference, the head of the alliance on Monday restated that Ukraine’s route toward joining NATO—previously declared "irreversible" during last year’s summit in Washington—remains firmly intact.

"Last year in Washington, NATO allies agreed that for Ukraine there is an irreversible path of Ukraine to enter NATO. And that is still true today, and it will still be true on Thursday after this summit," Secretary General Mark Rutte said at a media briefing in The Hague, ahead of the summit scheduled to commence on Tuesday.

Rutte described the meeting as taking place at a "historic moment" against the backdrop of a worsening global security situation.

He noted, "As the world grows more dangerous, allied leaders will take bold decisions to strengthen our collective defense, making NATO a stronger, a fairer, and a more lethal alliance," emphasizing the alliance’s resolve to adapt to the evolving threats.

The secretary general acknowledged that member nations have achieved "crucial progress" over the past half-year, yet emphasized that "the threats we face today demand far, far more" to maintain credible deterrence.

He highlighted that member countries have committed to a robust and forward-looking set of military capability targets—"specific principle requirements"—to back up strategic investments.

Commenting on Iran just days after the United States targeted Iranian nuclear facilities, Rutte reiterated NATO’s enduring opposition to the spread of nuclear weapons.

"Allies have long agreed that Iran must not develop a nuclear weapon. Allies have repeatedly urged Iran to meet its obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty," he stated, underlining NATO's consistent stance on the issue.

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