Terms for Ukraine's accession to NATO will be determined after war – Pistorius

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said this in an interview with Rzeczpospolita.

"During the Vilnius Summit, the NATO-Ukraine Council will meet for the first time at the level of heads of state or government. Thus, Kyiv will have an equal seat at the table of this Alliance body. This is a big step towards adaptation to NATO structures and processes," the minister emphasized.

According to Pistorius, he and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg agreed that “the Alliance should never become a party to a conflict.”

"Therefore, we will not be able to answer the question of Ukraine's accession to NATO while the war in Ukraine is ongoing. Only then will we all, and I think there will be 32 allies, together with Sweden, together with Ukraine, decide on the terms of accession to the Alliance," the German Defense Minister emphasized.

Ukraine's path to NATO membership:

Ukraine hopes to receive clear decisions on joining the Alliance in July during the NATO meeting in Vilnius. On May 23, Ukraine's ambassador to NATO, Natalia Galibarenko, mentioned that Ukraine is preparing two cooperation packages (political and practical), which will be presented for discussion during the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius. 

On May 30, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba outlined three key points that define Ukraine's vision for a successful outcome at the NATO summit in Vilnius. "Strengthen Ukraine-NATO institutional ties and assistance. Take a step toward UA membership. Provide security guarantees on Ukraine’s path to NATO." 

On June 10, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister, Volodymyr Havrylov, expressed his belief that the July NATO summit in Vilnius  will set the algorithm for Ukraine's accession to the Alliance.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that Ukraine will become a NATO member in the future, but due to the ongoing war, specific dates for accession cannot be determined. However, he is confident that during the Vilnius summit, the member countries will work towards finding a solution regarding Ukraine's progress.

On June 15, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for Ukraine's membership in NATO with 425 votes in favor. 

On June 16, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on NATO chief Stoltenberg to drop the Membership Action Plan (MAP) if Ukraine joins NATO.