NATO has declared that Ukraine will become a member of the alliance one day but also said Kyiv cannot join while at war, as that could lead to a direct conflict between NATO and Russia.
Brekelmans, whose country is among NATO’s 32 members, said there were “very different opinions” in the alliance on the issue.
To reach the necessary consensus, he said, allies would need to agree clear criteria that Ukraine would need to meet to get an invitation and others required to later become a member.
“If you don’t have that clarity upfront, I don’t see (that) 32 allies agree to granting an invitation,” he told reporters after a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels.
Asked what conditions Ukraine might need to meet, Brekelmans cited fighting corruption.
“If you want to modernize the Ukrainian armed forces, and have involvement of other countries, then I can imagine that you also want to assess the progress that Ukrainians make on that dimension,” he said.
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Reporting by Andrew Gray
Editing by Mark Potter
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