No timetable set for Ukraine’s membership, says NATO chief

Subject : International Relations

Section: International Organizations

Concept :

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has hit out the 31-member NATO alliance after the members said they would allow Ukraine to join the alliance “when allies agree and conditions are met”.
Following this statement, Zelenskyy blasted the organization’s failure to set a timetable for his country as “absurd.”
Although many NATO members have funneled arms and ammunition to Zelenskyy’s forces, there is no consensus among the 31 allies for admitting Ukraine into NATO’s ranks.

NATO membership — Process

NATO has what it calls an “open door policy” on new members — any European country can request to join, so long as they meet certain criteria and all existing members agree.
A country does not technically “apply” to join; Article 10 of its founding treaty states that, once a nation has expressed interest, the existing member states “may, by unanimous agreement, invite any other European State in a position to further the principles of this Treaty … to accede.”
Ratification of new members could take a year, as the legislatures of all 30 current members must approve new applicants.
Requirements for membership, which include
having a functioning democratic political system based on a market economy;
treating minority populations fairly;
committing to resolve conflicts peacefully;
the ability and willingness to make a military contribution to NATO operations; and
Committing to democratic civil-military relations and institutions.

What does NATO membership entail?

The reason most countries join NATO is because of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which stipulates that all signatories consider an attack on one an attack against all.
Article 5 has been a cornerstone of the alliance since NATO was founded in 1949 as a counterweight to the Soviet Union.
The point of the treaty, and Article 5 specifically, was to deter the Soviets from attacking liberal democracies that lacked military strength.
Article 5 guarantees that the resources of the whole alliance — including the massive US military — can be used to protect any single member nation, such as smaller countries who would be defenseless without their allies. Iceland, for example, has no standing army.