Stoltenberg hopes that Ukraine will become a member of NATO within the next 10 years

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed hope that Ukraine will become a member of the North Atlantic Alliance within the next 10 years. He stated this in an interview with the dpa agency, a part of which was published in DW. In addition, before the NATO summit in Washington, which will be held on July 9-11, Stoltenberg called for increased military aid to Kiev. The stronger this support is, the faster the war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine can end, he emphasized. According to Jens Stoltenberg, Russian President Vladimir Putin is pursuing a strategy of slowing down in Ukraine, hoping to weaken the determination of the West. "Putin thinks he can surpass us. We have to convince him that he cannot surpass us, and in this case it will create conditions for the end of the war," said the NATO Secretary General. The head of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), Christoph Heusgen, announced earlier that NATO The issue of Ukraine's membership will not be discussed at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Washington. At the same time, he expressed confidence that "only NATO membership will give Ukraine a long-term prospect of peace", as any agreement with Russia, according to Heusgen, has no real force. NATO leaders are expected to sign a commitment in Washington in 2025. Regarding the provision of 40 billion euros in military aid to Kyiv. This amount corresponds to the amount of annual Western aid to Ukraine since the start of Russia's armed invasion in February 2022.