Ulrike Demmer, spokesperson for the German cabinet, said the alliance was generally open for new members
On the whole, NATO is open for new members to join the alliance, but the issue of Ukraine’s accession is not on the agenda at the moment. Ulrike Demmer, a spokeswoman for the German Cabinet, said this at a briefing on Wednesday.
“As you know, NATO generally has an open door policy. Ukraine is free to choose according to its political needs, but no further steps towards its membership are currently envisaged”, – Demmer said.
The North Atlantic Alliance adopted a political declaration at its Bucharest Summit in April 2008 that “Ukraine and Georgia will eventually become members of NATO,” but refused to grant both countries Membership Action Plans, the first step in the legal procedure for joining the organization. Brussels experts estimate that over the next 12 years, Kiev and Tbilisi have rather moved away from the prospect of joining the alliance. NATO does not accept states with unresolved territorial problems, as their membership could drag the entire alliance into military conflict.
In February 2019, the Verkhovna Rada approved constitutional amendments enshrining the country’s aspirations for NATO with language on “the irreversibility of Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic path”. Ensuring that Ukraine’s Armed Forces are fully compatible with the armies of NATO countries by 2020 is enshrined in the country’s new military doctrine adopted in 2015. Previously, Ukraine was granted NATO partner status with enhanced capabilities.