NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says Ukraine will become a member of the alliance in the “long-term,” but for now it needs to remain independent, the BBC reports.
Ukraine has sought to join the US-led military alliance for years.
After the star of the war, President Volodymyr Zelensky asked for that request to be fast-tracked.
Ukraine also applied for EU membership days after Russia invaded, and gained candidate status in June.
“NATO allies have agreed that Ukraine will become a member of our alliance, but at the same time that is a long-term perspective,” Mr Stoltenberg told reporters during a visit to Finland’s capital, Helsinki.
“What is at issue now is that Ukraine can prevail as a sovereign independent nation.”
Ukraine, for years, has sought to join the military alliance between the US, Canada and 28 European countries, something President Vladimir Putin has described as a security threat for Russia.
