NATO Summit Decision: Ukraine's Membership Irreversible
Members of the North Atlantic Alliance have declared Ukraine's accession to NATO irreversible and assured of their support for our country on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration.
This is stated in the Declaration of the NATO Summit in Washington, DC, released on Wednesday.
"As Ukraine continues its vital efforts, we will continue to support it on its irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership," the document says.
At the same time, it is pointed out that Ukraine must choose how to ensure its own security without external interference.
"The future of Ukraine is in NATO. Ukraine is becoming increasingly compatible and politically integrated with the Alliance," the declaration emphasises.
NATO Allies welcome the concrete progress that Ukraine has made since the Vilnius Summit in the necessary democratic, economic and security reforms.
"We reaffirm that we will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the Alliance when Allies agree and the conditions are met," the document says.
This decision, as well as the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council to be held on Thursday, combined with the ongoing efforts of Allies, "is a bridge to Ukraine's membership in NATO". Allies said they will continue to support Ukraine's progress in terms of interoperability, as well as in implementing democratic and security sector reforms.
The Declaration also notes the decision to establish a NATO Security Assistance Task Force (NSATU) "to coordinate the transfer of military equipment to Ukraine and training by Allies and partners". In addition, support is expressed for the establishment of the NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre (JATEC). The document also welcomes the Secretary General's decision to appoint a senior NATO representative in Ukraine.
The leaders of the North Atlantic Alliance also decided to provide long-term support to Ukraine, which includes at least €40 billion over the next year.
Earlier, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that after the war, Ukraine should have sufficient capabilities to deter Russian aggression and security guarantees, the best of which is Article 5 of the Washington Treaty. Therefore, the ultimate goal of negotiations and actions in cooperation with Ukraine is our country's membership in the Alliance, the NATO Secretary General stressed.