For several years now, Ukraine has been rapidly fighting for a place in NATO against the backdrop of a full-scale war against russia. The Ukrainian army has shown that it is worthy of being in the same ranks as Western allied forces. Find out how close Ukraine is to joining the Alliance and which allies are still against it

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Ukraine is probably closer to joining NATO than ever before. The Alliance itself says that Kyiv will become the 33rd or 34th member of the defence bloc. However, there is a country that is categorically against this. And we are talking about Ukraine's ally.

How close is Ukraine to NATO?

At least that is the conclusion that can be drawn from the words of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said in a speech to parliament on 16 October that he hoped to receive an invitation to join NATO within the next few months.

At the same time, it should be noted that full membership is not yet on the table. But an invitation to the Alliance is the penultimate step on the road to membership.

Is NATO waiting for Ukraine?

It is likely that Ukraine would be useful to the defence alliance. Kyiv's accession to the bloc would automatically strengthen Europe's eastern flank in the event of a possible armed conflict between the West and Moscow.

And NATO representatives themselves openly state that ‘Ukraine's path to NATO membership is irreversible’. These words were spoken by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who noted that the decision on Ukraine's membership in NATO was made at the Washington summit.

‘If the question is when exactly, I cannot answer it now, at this moment. But obviously, we are working on all of these areas to make sure that one day they do become a NATO member,’ the Secretary General added.

What do key allies think?

According to Zelenskyy, the US position on Ukraine's accession to NATO has changed for the better. However, Germany remains opposed to the accession.

‘We talked a lot about Ukraine's future in NATO. The German position is very important because the Germans still have scepticism. And we are closer to NATO with the United States than we used to be. I think we are much closer,’ Zelenskyy added.

Ukraine's path to NATO has been simplified as much as possible

As you know, last July, NATO members decided to cancel the MAP for Ukraine on its way to joining the Alliance.

*The MAP is a special action program designed for candidates for NATO membership that aims to help bring a candidate country's political, economic and military spheres up to NATO standards.

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What does the abolition of the MAP status mean for Ukraine?

The MAP program (action plan) is the final step a country takes on its way to NATO. That is, the state actually receives step-by-step instructions, which it follows to join the Alliance. Thus, after the MAP is canceled, Ukraine's path to NATO becomes open. However, we will find out exactly how the accession process will work in the coming days. Obviously, the removal of the MAP from Ukraine's path does not guarantee immediate accession at the Vilnius summit, but it will significantly speed up and simplify the country's accession to the Alliance.

Read more about the steps Ukraine needs to take to become a NATO member and who opposes it here.

When will Ukraine join NATO?

The vast majority of analysts are convinced that Ukraine needs to end the war in order to join NATO. Ukrainian authorities share a similar position, emphasizing the need for an official invitation to join the Alliance. 

And the main paradox is that NATO membership requires victory and cessation of hostilities, but it is the full-scale invasion of Russia that has become a window of opportunity for Ukraine. After all, the current level of support for the state from Western partners is at its historical peak. 

In particular, Ukraine's accession to NATO before the full-scale war was considered impossible because Ukraine's membership was a risk and a threat to the Alliance, not an advantage. That is why even discussions on the MAP program were constantly postponed since 1994. Moreover, accession to NATO was blocked even by the Ukrainian government, in particular by pro-russian President Viktor Yanukovych, who liquidated the interagency commission on preparing the state for membership in the Alliance and the national center for Euro-Atlantic integration, and later declared Ukraine's non-aligned status. This status was canceled only in 2014, when Petro Poroshenko came to power. However, Ukraine's accession to NATO was out of the question in the coming years, because, at the very least, the country had neither the economic, political, nor military capabilities to do so, and at most because russia had annexed Crimea and launched a military invasion in eastern Ukraine.

However, today, Ukraine is not "asking" for membership, but confidently assures that it is not NATO that needs it, but it needs Ukraine. And the vast majority of NATO member states agree that Ukraine will not become a "burden" for the military-political alliance. That is why we hope for the best and look forward to the results of the summit in Vilnius, which will be announced in the near future.

We remind you! Ukraine is looking for ways to end the war unleashed by russia. One of the mechanisms for ending the russian invasion is Ukraine's ‘victory plan’, which President Zelenskyy presented to the Ukrainian parliament. Read here to find out what this plan consists of and what points it contains.

Want to know more? Read the latest news and useful materials about Ukraine and the world in the News section.

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