A number of NATO member states are waiting for the new US administration to take office before making a decision on Ukraine's request to join the US-led transatlantic alliance, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže said on Tuesday.
"In principle, we, as political leaders, agreed that Ukraine will be a member of the bloc," the Latvian Foreign Minister told Reuters.
"The question is on what terms, when. And obviously, the alliance must come together.
Currently, all the allies are waiting for the new US administration to start work, so I think this is one of the aspects about which they say or not, but it is the reality," he said.
Braje, a former senior NATO official, stressed that Ukraine's "military strength will be NATO activity" and that his country would be in favor of inviting Ukraine to join the organization if a decision is made.
"A number of countries do not always feel comfortable inviting a warring country to become a member of NATO," the minister emphasized, adding, "We are more flexible."
Earlier, Kiev called on NATO's foreign ministers to send an invitation to the meeting to be held in Brussels this week, but given the opposition of some capitals and the transition period in Washington, this step seems unlikely, the media reports.
