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Ukraine’s accession to NATO isn’t currently discussed by alliance — Pistorius

The German defense minister asserted that the main concern of the Western allies at present is to support Kiev and ensure that the conflict "ends in favor of Ukraine"

BERLIN, April 21. /TASS/. Ukraine’s accession to NATO isn’t currently discussed by the alliance, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters on Friday.

"Germany has never been critical regarding Ukraine's accession to NATO. We only stated that now is not the time to discuss this," Pistorius said on the sidelines of a Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in Ramstein, according to a broadcast by the German television channel Welt. "And this is the position of all NATO allies."

"Everyone sees Ukraine as a NATO partner in the future, but there is still some way to go before then," the minister continued.

Pistorius asserted that the main concern of the Western allies at present is to support Kiev and ensure that the conflict "ends in favor of Ukraine."

"This [Ukraine's accession to NATO] is not an issue of discussion now," he said.

Earlier on Friday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that all NATO member countries allegedly support Ukraine's accession to the alliance. But he said a meaningful discussion on the subject would only be possible after Ukraine prevailed in the armed conflict with Russia. He pledged new arms supplies to Kiev, along with assistance to maintain the systems that had already been delivered.

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