Foreign ministers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) gathered in Oslo, the capital city of Norway, on Thursday (June 1) to discuss their support for Ukraine and Sweden’s bid to join NATO. The meeting is expected to address the ongoing situation in Ukraine, where the country has been facing a Russian invasion since February of the previous year, according to a report by Reuters.
During the meeting, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg mentioned that he had a conversation earlier in the week with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan following his re-election. Stoltenberg also announced his upcoming visit to Turkey to discuss Sweden’s request to join NATO. This process has faced delays due to objections from member countries Turkey and Hungary, although Turkey ratified Finland’s NATO accession in March. Turkey has expressed concerns about Sweden harboring members of groups it considers terrorists.
Stoltenberg emphasized that Russia cannot prevent Ukraine from becoming a NATO member.
Ahead of the NATO foreign ministers meeting, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna highlighted the need for the alliance to consider the security guarantees it can provide to Ukraine. She emphasized the principle of international law that states have the right to freely choose their alliances.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna called for a clear path for Ukraine to join NATO, stating that there should be no gray areas in Russia’s neighboring regions.
However, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock cautioned that a country cannot join NATO while it is in the midst of a war. She acknowledged that cooperation between Ukraine and NATO has intensified due to the Russian aggression but stated that new membership cannot be discussed during an ongoing conflict.
Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn warned that NATO’s mutual assistance clause would require the alliance to enter a war with Russia if Ukraine were accepted as a member while the conflict is still ongoing.
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