France Convinces Allies To Invite Ukraine To NATO Right Now

• 19.10.2024, 9:23

This is one of the key priorities of the "victory plan".

France is trying to convince NATO allies of the need to invite Ukraine to the Alliance now, said Minister Delegate for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad. "The invitation is the first step, an important political signal that we could give now. We are mobilizing efforts to convince our partners, even if the accession process itself will be long and difficult,” he said in an interview with the Parisien newspaper.

On October 16, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky presented a "victory plan" in the Verkhovna Rada, which includes five main points and three secret additions. Kyiv intends to implement the first four points by the end of 2024. A key priority for Ukraine, according to Zelensky's plan, is to receive an invitation to NATO.

Ukraine's application for accelerated accession to NATO was submitted in September 2022. Jens Stoltenberg, who at that time held the post of general secretary of the Alliance, then noted that Kyiv's accession was impossible while the war with Russia continued.

In early October, the new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that Ukraine should become part of the alliance, since without its participation it is impossible to achieve sustainable security in Europe. “Our priorities remain unchanged. It is important that Ukraine is preserved as an independent democratic state," he said during his inauguration.