Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said that the country will not become a Nato member amid tentative signals of developments in peace talks with Russia. He addressed leaders from the new Joint Expeditionary Force, a UK-led initiative bringing together 10 north Atlantic countries to create a capability for responding rapidly to crises, saying: "It is clear that Ukraine is not a member of Nato; we understand this.
"For years we heard about the apparently open door, but have already also heard that we will not enter there, and these are truths and must be acknowledged.”
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What is Nato?
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, also known as Nato, is a military alliance formed in 1949 by 12 countries, including the UK, US, Canada, and France. Nato members agree to come to each other's aid in the event of an armed attack against any one member state.
Nato currently has 30 members and, for a country to become part of the alliance, it has to be approved by all current members.
The original aim was to counter the threat of post-war Russian expansion in Europe and, in 1955, Soviet Russia responded to Nato by creating its own military alliance called the Warsaw Pact. After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, some of the countries that had formed the Warsaw Pact switched and became Nato members.
Why isn't Ukraine part of Nato?
As Ukraine is not a member of Nato, the alliance is not obliged to come to the country's defence. Ukraine is a "partner" country, which means that there is an understanding that it could join in the future.
This status is awarded to non-member nations that have "made significant contributions to Nato-led operations and missions”. Other partner countries include Australia and Sweden, for example. Nato established a Ukraine-Nato commission in 1997, which enabled discussion on security issues and the furthering of a Nato-Ukraine relationship, without the country being a formal member.
Some member countries have previously been sceptical about including Ukraine in Nato, however Russia's invasion of the country has changed the situation. Factors taken into account when considering membership include “unresolved external territorial disputes”, meaning that it is unlikely that Ukraine will be granted membership to the alliance any time soon.
How do countries join Nato?
A country must be approved by all current members for it to become part of Nato. Nations that wish to join must meet certain requirements have to follow a membership action plan, an application that includes outlining security and political policies.
Nato says that, to join the alliance, "nations are expected to respect the values of the North Atlantic Treaty, and to meet certain political, economic and military criteria, set out in the Alliance’s 1995 Study on Enlargement." Criteria include fair treatment of minority populations, a commitment to resolving conflicts peacefully, and a commitment to democratic civil-military relations and institutions.
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