Context

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022, NATO membership has been a top priority for Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During the 2023 NATO Summit in Vilnius, Secretary General Stoltenberg announced that the allies have agreed to let Ukraine join NATO and expedite the country’s path to membership by removing the requirement for a Membership Action Plan, yet no formal invitation was extended.

In a speech, Stoltenberg said that NATO will issue a formal invitation when the allies agree and conditions are met, but did not provide specifics on the timeline.  Finland and Sweden also applied for NATO membership in 2022 following Russia’s invasion and, so far, only Finland has gained membership, Sweden is still waiting its turn.