US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, commenting on Volodymyr Zelenski’s application for accelerated NATO membership, said that the decision to expand the alliance should be taken by all its members.
In a joint briefing by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Australian Defence Minister Richard Marzl, Austin said the White House was committed to supporting NATO’s “open door” policy, but the issue was being decided by the 30 member countries of the alliance that vote, as well as the country that seeks to join the bloc.
“This work needs to be done in the future,” Austin concluded.
The United States and Canada on Friday, 30 September, expressed support for Ukraine’s membership in NATO, but refrained from promising to accelerate it following President Zelensky’s statement.
Under NATO rules, any decision to admit a new member must be unanimous. Hungary has made it clear that it opposes Ukraine’s immediate accession to the alliance. Furthermore, other European countries were also hesitant to enlist a nation in armed conflict, which would have obliged the alliance under the collective treaty to stand up for it.