Next NATO member may not be Ukraine – Rutte

An immediate invitation for Kiev to join the US-led military bloc is part of Vladimir Zelensky’s ‘victory plan’

The next nation to join NATO may not be Ukraine, the military bloc’s secretary general Mark Rutte told reporters on Thursday, commenting on Kiev’s request for an immediate invitation.

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky announced on Wednesday that getting a formal call into the US-led organization is a key part of his ‘victory plan’ against Russia. NATO’s policy since 2008 has been that eventually Ukraine would join its ranks, and despite Moscow’s objections, but it has declined to provide any specific timeline.

Finland and Sweden joined NATO as the 31st and 32nd members in April 2023 and March 2024, respectively. Speaking to the media ahead of a meeting of defense ministers in Brussels, Rutte said Ukraine is not guaranteed to be the 33rd, as expected, and that another candidate may “pop in front” in the line.

”But Ukraine will be a member of NATO in the future. That is what we decided in Washington,” he added, referring to the decisions made at a US-hosted summit of NATO leaders in July, at which the Ukrainian path to accession was declared “irreversible”.

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Moscow has called the admission of Ukraine to what it considers a hostile organization to be a red line when it comes to national security. NATO’s rapidly increasing cooperation with the Ukrainian military after the Western-backed armed coup in Kiev in 2014 has been identified by the Russian government as one of the triggers of the ongoing hostilities.

The US and its allies have pledged to stand with Ukraine for “as long as it takes” to defeat Russia, providing hundreds of billions worth of military assistance.

Zelensky’s ‘victory plan,’ which he first presented to US President Joe Biden in late September, has been met with skepticism by Western donors, according to statements and media reports.

Even if Ukraine were to receive a formal invitation, several members of the bloc, including Hungary and Slovakia, have expressed opposition to its candidacy. Accepting it in any form could lead to a world war, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto warned last week.

READ MORE: NATO member warns of WWIII if Ukraine joins bloc

After the Ukrainian proposal was made public, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller declined to comment on opposition to the Ukrainian candidacy. Washington will “continue to engage with the government of Ukraine about that plan” he said during a regular briefing.