NEW YORK, April 5. /TASS/. NATO leaders will not invite Ukraine to join the alliance at the July summit despite the advance of Russian troops and the possibility of major territorial losses for Kiev, the New York Times reported.

The newspaper said, citing sources, that "NATO has no appetite for taking on a new member that, because of the alliance’s covenant of collective security, would draw it into the biggest land war in Europe since 1945." Instead, Kiev is expected to be offered a road map. According to the newspaper, Germany and the United States oppose Ukraine's accession to NATO.

The New York Times pointed out that Russia continues to gain ground and Ukraine seems to be in danger of losing. "The situation on the ground may look a lot worse than it is today, and then the real question becomes, ‘How do we make sure that Russia doesn’t win?’" the newspaper quoted former US ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder as saying. According to him, "it can change the whole nature of the debate."

Ukraine applied to join NATO on a fast-track basis in September 2022, and was assured at the alliance’s summit in Vilnius in July 2023 that it would be admitted if the necessary conditions were met. But, no timetable for its admission was given in Brussels. Meanwhile, the organization has repeatedly pointed to the fact that Ukraine’s accession is impossible while the country remains in a state of armed conflict.

NATO now includes 32 states: almost all European countries, Canada, the United States and Turkey. Bosnia and Herzegovina participates in the program for admitting new members to the alliance. In order to join NATO, a country must meet the conditions of an individual plan, have no territorial disputes and bring its armed forces in line with the alliance's standards.