Military

Ukraine's Accession to NATO Discussed, Quick Decision Not Expected - Berlin

BERLIN (Sputnik) - The NATO members are discussing Ukraine's possible accession to the bloc, but this decision will be made later since it is not on the agenda at the moment, German government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann said on Friday.
Sputnik
Earlier in the day, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated all NATO members have agreed that Ukraine will become a NATO member.
"[Ukraine's] accession is discussed by NATO partners, but this decision is not on the agenda," Hoffmann said during a press briefing when asked to comment on Stoltenberg's statement.
Hoffmann referred to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius' recent statement that Ukraine's accession to NATO would not be discussed during the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting. According to Pistorius, the relevant decision should be made after the end of the Ukrainian conflict and at the proper time, and not out of solidarity.
World
Stoltenberg Claims All NATO Allies Agree Ukraine Should Become Member of Alliance
In September, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine was applying to be fast-tracked to join NATO. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow was closely monitoring the situation and recalled that Kiev's orientation towards the alliance was one of the reasons for the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in February 2022.
On Friday, the Ukraine Defense Contact Group consisting of 54 countries is holding its 11th military briefing on the issue of Ukraine's support at the US Air Force Ramstein base in Germany.
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