Foreign media reported on the 19th local time that there is a large gap between member states over Ukraine's invitation to join NATO.
Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Breckelmans spoke to reporters after attending a NATO defense ministers meeting on the 17th and 18th.
Breckelmans explained that Ukraine first needs to agree among its members on the detailed conditions it must achieve before it is notified of NATO's invitation to join officially.
The West, including the U.S. and Germany, is reluctant to comment because of fears of rising tensions with Russia, while Poland and Lithuania support Ukraine's early accession to NATO.
Breckelmans added that additional requirements such as progress in military modernization must also be discussed first in order for Ukraine to become a full member.
"If there is no clarity on additional requirements in advance, 32 member states will not agree to the notification of invitation to join," he predicted.
Recently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited NATO one after another to announce plans for an end to the war, arguing that invitation to NATO membership is a key factor.
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