Ukraine seeks to receive an invitation to join NATO before Joe Biden leaves the presidency of the United States. This could serve as a political signal.
This was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing Ukraine's ambassador to NATO, Natalia Galibarenko, as quoted by Reuters.
"Our idea is that providing Ukraine (an invitation) now is a political signal... We sincerely believe that this could be part of the legacy of the current American administration," she stated.
As noted by the publication, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made it clear in recent weeks that he views a swift invitation to NATO as part of the victory plan.
According to Ukrainian diplomat Galibarenko, an invitation to NATO would eliminate the "bone of contention" between Ukraine and Russia. Moscow has used Ukraine's potential NATO membership to justify the war. In turn, Ukraine has insisted that it needs to join the Alliance to protect itself from any future Russian aggression.
"If we say that there is an invitation, then for the Russian Federation it will be like a final verdict - and that's it, so the stakes on this issue can no longer be raised," the ambassador added.
Recall that during the full-scale war, Ukraine has made progress on its path to NATO and European Union membership.
In the fall of 2022, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine was signing an application for expedited NATO membership. Ukraine was expecting a clear timeline for joining the Alliance and called for a political decision regarding the invitation.
So far, such a decision has not been made. NATO has repeatedly stated that it keeps the "door open" for Ukraine. However, allies hint that Ukraine will not be able to join the Alliance until the war is over.
Earlier, Zelensky noted that according to polls, Ukraine's NATO membership is part of the victory plan.