Stoltenberg: NATO's Already Decided to Make Ukraine, Georgia Members, Didn't Say When It'll Occur - Sputnik International

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has stated that the alliance has already made the decision that Ukraine and Georgia will become members of the bloc. In an interview for the Italian news outlet La Repubblica, Stoltenberg said that the decision had been made in 2008 during a summit of NATO states.

The NATO chief noted, however, that nothing was said about when either of the states will be accepted into the alliance's ranks. Neither Ukraine, nor Georgia has been accepted into the bloc so far and no timeline has been given for it to happen.

At the same time, Stoltenberg reiterated earlier statements by NATO that it will not sacrifice its open-door policy in the security dialogue with Russia, which kicked off earlier this week. Moscow demanded that the alliance stop its eastward expansion and prevent the deployment of offensive weapons any closer to Russia's borders. The Kremlin views NATO's encroachment towards the country's borders as a national security threat.