Dutch minister: NATO must define conditions for Ukraine's membership invitation

NATO member countries will need to discuss the specific conditions under which Ukraine could receive an invitation to join the alliance, Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans stated on October 18.

This discussion comes in response to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's recently unveiled "victory plan", Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Zelenskyy introduced his five-point plan earlier this week, which includes a call for an immediate NATO invitation to demonstrate to Russian President Vladimir Putin that Moscow's invasion would ultimately result in a geopolitical defeat.

While NATO has affirmed that Ukraine will eventually become a member, it has also emphasized that Kyiv cannot join while engaged in active conflict, as this could provoke a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia.

So far, NATO leaders have refrained from issuing a direct response to Zelenskyy's renewed request for an invitation. Brekelmans, whose country is one of NATO's 32 members, acknowledged that there are "very different opinions" within the alliance regarding this issue.

To achieve the necessary consensus, he stressed that allies must establish clear criteria for Ukraine to meet before receiving an invitation, as well as requirements for full membership later on. “If you don't have that clarity upfront, I don't see how 32 allies would agree to grant an invitation,” he told reporters following a NATO defence ministers' meeting in Brussels.

When asked what specific conditions Ukraine might need to fulfil, Brekelmans pointed to the importance of addressing corruption. “If you want to modernize the Ukrainian armed forces and involve other countries, then it makes sense to assess the progress Ukraine makes in that area,” he explained.

By Tamilla Hasanova