Ukraine joining NATO will not be discussed at bloc's upcoming summit in Madrid, says Spain

Amid speculations about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joining the NATO Summit and its future plans of joining the US-backed military alliance, the Spanish Foreign Minister, on Sunday, clarified that the presence of Zelenskyy should not be confused with any intention of joining the bloc. While speaking to the newspaper El Pais on Sunday, FM Jose Manuel Albares said that the question of inviting Ukraine does not mean it is joining the military alliance. According to Albares, "The proposal has never been on the table, nor is it now."

Earlier, Russia, on several occasions, cited Ukraine's intention to join NATO as the main reason behind its action against Kyiv. It had demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a "neutral country" that will never join the US-led organisation. Notably, Zelenskyy is scheduled to address the NATO summit virtually in Madrid, in which it is expected that the embattled leader would press the West to impose additional sanctions on Moscow. However, the Spanish Foreign minister said if Zelenskyy had informed about joining the Summit in person, the NATO members would have welcomed him with open arms.

When asked if the Western countries would press the Ukrainian President to reach a ceasefire with Moscow by making some concessions, Albares said that Kyiv was a sovereign nation and can make decisions for itself. 

What is NATO?

NATO is an intergovernmental military alliance between 27 European countries, two North American countries, and one Eurasian country. The organisation implements the North Atlantic Treaty that was signed on April 4, 1949. In 1949, there were 12 founding members of the Alliance: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States. Notably, Ukraine is a former Soviet republic and shares a border with Russia and the European Union.

Though Ukraine is not a member of the intergovernmental military alliance, it is a "partner country". According to NATO, if a country is not "an alliance" but "a partner", it means that it can join the group in the future. It is to be noted that Russia wants Ukraine to never join the alliance and therefore it is now seeking assurance from the Western powers. On the other hand, the United States -- which is also a member of NATO -- stands in support of Ukraine saying, "it is a sovereign nation and therefore it is the right of Kyiv to decide on its own security alliances." Earlier, there were some reports stating "Ukraine does not want to join the NATO alliance and it was the Western countries which are forcing it to join. 

Image: AP