Russia reiterated that preventing Ukraine from joining the NATO alliance is one of its key goals of the war.
Ukraine's accession to the alliance would “pose a serious and significant danger to our country, to the security of our country,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
LLOYD AUSTIN REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO SWEDEN, PREDICTS IT WILL JOIN NATO 'BEFORE JULY'
NATO had 30 members at the start of Russia's war in Ukraine, though Finland and Sweden quickly ended their neutrality and applied to join the alliance. Finland became the 31st member earlier this month, while Turkey and Hungary have objected to Sweden's application.
Finland's inclusion into NATO doubled the shared border between the alliance and Russia, a significant blow to the Kremlin, which has attempted to fracture the alliance through the war.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson on Wednesday at the headquarters of the Swedish navy on Musko Naval Base near Stockholm, where he told reporters he believes Sweden will join the alliance before the NATO summit is set to take place in Lithuania in early July.
"We'll do what we've done thus far and even more of it — and then gauging our very important allies and encouraging them to come to that decision as quickly as possible," he said. "And I joined the other 30 ministers of defense in the alliance, and I know that they feel the same way. Again, I'm sure that these countries will reach that decision. And then I feel confident that they'll reach it before July."
Austin was in Sweden before traveling to Germany, where he will convene the Ukraine Contact Group, which consists of monthly meetings of roughly 50 defense leaders from around the globe to discuss Ukraine's most pressing needs. Ahead of the meeting, the Biden administration announced a new aid package for roughly $325 million that includes munitions and ammunition for U.S.-provided weapons.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg visited Ukraine on Thursday, his first visit since the start of the full-scale war, saying the possibility of Ukraine's ascension into the alliance will be a subject of discussion during the July meeting.
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"Let me be clear: Ukraine's rightful place is in the Euro-Atlantic family. Ukraine's rightful place is in NATO. And over time, our support will help you to make this possible," Stoltenberg told reporters during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.
Stoltenberg said they discussed a “multiyear support initiative” that would help Ukraine update its Soviet-era equipment and doctrines to “NATO standards” to “ensure full interoperability with the alliance.”