Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Taiani said on Saturday that Ukraine will become a member of the European Union and also of NATO, but he made clear that it cannot join the alliance while it is still at war with Russia.

"Impossible now"

Taiani added at the Munich Security Conference, “The message to Russia is very clear: Ukraine will become a member of the European Union, and after that we will work to make Ukraine a member of NATO.”

"It means a third world war"

But he made it clear that it was impossible for Kiev to join NATO while it was still stuck in a military conflict with Russia.

He continued, "We have to be very careful," because a NATO member fighting a war with Russia "means a third world war."

No positive indicators for Ukraine

The US Ambassador to NATO, Julianne Smith, said last Tuesday that she did not expect Ukraine to be invited to join the alliance during the next summit, which will be held next July.

Smith added in a press briefing that she believes that the summit that will be held this year in Washington will give “an indication that the coalition continues to grow closer to Ukraine and that we are taking concrete steps to form a bridge between the situation we are currently in and full membership.”

"You will one day become a member"

Last year, NATO member states reiterated their firm position that Kiev will one day become a member of the US-led military alliance, without specifying a time frame.

It is noteworthy that Ukraine submitted an application for NATO membership in September 2022. During the alliance’s summit in Vilnius in July 2023, the alliance confirmed Ukraine’s acceptance after “all required conditions” are implemented.