Ukraine joining NATO during the war 'not on the agenda' – Stoltenberg

Stoltenberg made the statement at an event organized by the German Marshall Fund of the US in Brussels, Sky news reports.

"I think that everyone realized that, to become a member in the midst of a war is not on the agenda. The issue is what happens when the war ends," he said. 

The alliance's chief Jens Stoltenberg has repeatedly promised that Ukraine would join NATO after the war.

In April, he said all NATO allies have agreed that Ukraine will become a member. He pledged continued support for the country amid Russia's ongoing invasion.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to attend the next NATO summit in person in Vilnius in July, and has earlier said that his country needs a roadmap for becoming a member. Zelenskyy considers the Vilnius summit to be a timely moment for a political statement about the prospect of Ukraine’s NATO membership.

• NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference following the first day of the summit in Brussels that above all, it is necessary to ensure Ukraine's victory as an independent and sovereign state

• NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Ukraine could become a member of the Alliance, but the main focus of the organization is now on Ukraine's victory in the war

• Every NATO state supports Ukraine's membership in the Alliance, but today it is difficult to give an exact timeline

  NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this in an interview with The Washington Post.

• NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that he sees no point in discussing when and how Ukraine will join the Alliance until it wins the war with Russia