Gerry Connolly, President of the NATO PA, says that Ukraine’s fight for sovereignty is continuing. He believes that a full territorial control will be key to receiving an invitation to join NATO.
In an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Gerry Connolly, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, said that NATO believes Ukraine is already on a “irreversible pathway” that will lead it to membership in its Alliance. But first, Ukraine must restore sovereignty over its territory.
In a statement issued after a meeting held in Naples on 18-20th October, the G7 defense ministers said that they supported Ukraine in its irreversible journey to full Euro-Atlantic Integration, including NATO membership. The exact date when Ukraine could become a NATO Member is still uncertain.
“There is a war going on right now.” We must resolve this, restore Ukraine’s sovereignty, and ensure that there is a clear pathway to NATO. I think NATO, as well as US, has made it very clear that we welcome the idea Ukraine joining NATO. Connolly stated that the path to membership is “irreversible”.
Connolly said that if the NATO membership of Ukraine was conditional on the liberation its entire territory then this would be “the best way forward.”
“Is this the only way?” Maybe not. We don’t yet know the outcome, but we do know what we hope to achieve. “NATO and the US government have allocated substantial resources and established partnerships with Ukraine’s brothers and sisters so that they can stand strong and restore full sovereignty over all of their territory,” the NATO spokesperson claimed.
He said that he doubted that US President Joe Biden will agree to invite Ukraine into NATO without consulting its partners before the end hostilities in its territory.
“President Biden is sympathetic to Ukraine’s aspirations. He would take a positive position on this. Would he take specific action without consulting other NATO allies first? This would be impossible. He is again focused on priorities. Connolly said that the top priority was to stop the violence committed by Russians in Ukraine.
He said that the involvement of North Korean troops in the war in Ukraine was a dangerous escalation. Connolly also said that the involvement by North Korean troops shows Moscow‘s weaknesses.
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