Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin says Ukraine could apply to join NATO in the future

New Delhi

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday hinted at the possibility of Ukraine applying for a NATO membership, saying that such a “possibility exists.”

“NATO will always stand by its principles of maintaining an open door. I won’t speculate on what to come…I do believe that in the future, if a possibility exists, Ukraine will seek to once again apply for the member of NATO,” Austin said while briefing the reporters at Ramstein US airbase in western Germany, where the US is hosting dozens of countries for a conference on bolstering Ukraine's defence capabilities.

Notably, the meeting saw a major announcement from Germany, which pledged to deliver tanks to Ukraine in a radical switch in policy on the supply of military equipment to the country.

Similarly, the United States has also pledged to move “heaven and Earth” to help Ukraine win its battle against the Russian invasion.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the United States had approved a US $165 million sale of ammunition for Ukraine's war effort, along with more than US $300 million in foreign military financing.

“The strategy that we've put in place — massive support for Ukraine, massive pressure against Russia, solidarity with more than 30 countries engaged in these efforts — is having real results,” Blinken told reporters in Poland the day after meeting Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials in Kyiv.

The announcements came hours after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused NATO of using to engage in a “proxy war” with Moscow.

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Condemning the delivery of weapons to Ukraine, Sergei Lavrov in an interview aired on Monday said, “"These weapons will be a legitimate target for Russia's military acting within the context of the special operation."

The United States and its allies have decided to meet once a month to discuss Ukraine's defence needs to battle invading Russian troops, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday.

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"Today's gathering will become a monthly Contact Group on Ukraine's self-defence," he said following the first session of a weapons summit.

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(With inputs from agencies)