Luxembourg foreign minister speaks out against Ukraine's invitation to NATO

Ukraine 's invitation and membership in NATO may become a catalyst for further aggravation of the conflict, which is why it is not desirable at all. This was stated by Luxembourg Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, Der Spiegel wrote on December 3.

"I believe that [Ukraine's] membership in NATO will bring back tensions," the minister said.

The minister believes that inviting a country in which a military conflict is taking place into the alliance could pose a threat of escalation.

According to Bettel, the best alternative for Kiev would be to grant Ukraine membership in the European Union (EU). The country's entry into the defense alliance, however, is only possible if all of the current 32 member states agree to it. FRG Chancellor Olaf Scholz also opposes Kiev's membership in NATO, the media reminds.

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Prior to that, on December 3, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that Kiev considered NATO membership the only possible security guarantee for the country. In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitriy Peskov said that Ukraine's joining the alliance was unacceptable for Russia because it was a threat. For his part, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte pointed out that the bloc was not discussing Kiev's invitation and was negotiating only about arms deliveries.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose term of office expired in May, said in an interview with the British TV channel Sky News on November 29 that he might agree to a ceasefire and the renunciation of some territories in exchange for Ukraine's membership in NATO.

At the same time, former U.S. Congressman and Florida Republican Matt Gaetz said after Zelensky's statement that Ukraine's admission to NATO would be a terrible idea.

Later, on December 2, the Ansa news agency reported that the meeting of NATO foreign ministers on December 3 and 4 would not reach an agreement on inviting Ukraine to the alliance. In addition, it is noted that Kiev has made it clear to Western countries that it will need "at least $120bn" by 2025. This exceeds the amount previously agreed upon at the NATO summit in Washington.

Ukraine applied to join NATO on an accelerated basis on September 30, 2022. At the time, Zelensky said that in fact the country is already in the alliance and meets its standards.

Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Kiev amid Russia's special operation to protect Donbass, which Putin announced on February 24, 2022, after the situation in the region worsened due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.