On Tuesday, the US Ambassador to NATO, Julianne Smith, said that she didn't expect that NATO wouldn't grant the alliance membership to Ukraine in the upcoming NATO summit in July.
Smith said: "As for the summit this summer, I do not expect the alliance to issue an invitation at this juncture."
Her statements came during a call with journalists ahead of a NATO defense ministers' meeting.
Ukraine is still seeking to capture the defense alliance membership as its war with Russia is still ongoing.
Last year, NATO leaders said that Ukraine would join the alliance, but without providing any timeline for the membership.
Smith highlighted: "We've worked very hard since the Vilnius summit last year to move out on a number of steps to continue to help our friends in Ukraine with the necessary reforms inside their own country to move closer to Euro-Atlantic integration."
"And we continue to focus first and foremost on supporting them in the current fight and ensuring that they can prevail on the battlefield."
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