In a press briefing before the meeting of foreign ministers in NATO, Jens Stoltenberg said that the entire alliance agrees that Ukraine must be offered membership. But that presupposes that the war is won. Stoltenberg sets the bar high. Russia is unlikely to accept Ukraine membership under any circumstances. That was part of the background for the war.

All NATO members agree that the door is open to new members, says Stoltenberg.

All allies also agree that Ukraine should become a member of the alliance and that it is up to the NATO allies and Ukraine to decide when Ukraine should become a member. Moscow should not have veto rights against NATO expansion, says the NATO chief.

He says that the most important thing now is to ensure that Ukraine survives as an independent nation.

When the war ends, we must ensure that history does not repeat itself. Therefore, we must put in place a framework that provides guarantees for Ukraine’s security after the war, says Stoltenberg. (NTB)

The informal meeting in Oslo looks set to rally the NATO countries behind membership for Ukraine before the summit in Vilnius in July. NATO thus challenges Russia at home.