Volodymyr Zelenskyy attacks NATO as 'no timetable set for Ukraine's membership'
alliance after the members said they would allow Ukraine to join the alliance “when allies agree and conditions are met". Following this statement, Zelenskyy blasted the organization’s failure to set a timetable for his country as “absurd." Although many NATO members have funneled arms and ammunition to Zelenskyy’s forces, there is no consensus among the 31 allies for admitting Ukraine into NATO’s ranks.
Zelenskyy pushed back sharply against the decision as he headed to the annual NATO summit in Vilnius. “It’s unprecedented and absurd when a time frame is set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine’s membership," Zelenskyy tweeted.
“While at the same time, vague wording about ‘conditions’ is added even for inviting Ukraine. It seems there is no readiness to invite Ukraine to NATO or to make it a member of the Alliance." NATO membership would afford Ukraine protection against a giant neighbour that annexed its Crimean Peninsula almost a decade ago and more recently seized vast swaths of land in the east and south.
Joining NATO would also oblige Kyiv to reform its security institutions, improve governance and curb corruption — work that would also ease the country's path into the European Union. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the most important thing now is to ensure that his country wins the war, because “unless Ukraine prevails there is no membership to be discussed at all." The broadside from Zelenskyy could renew tensions at the summit shortly after it saw a burst of goodwill following an agreement by Turkey to advance Sweden's bid to join NATO.
Read more on livemint.com
