Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told European allies that not allowing his country into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization after its war with Russia is over would be "suicidal."

"After the war ends, it will be suicidal for Europe not to accept Ukraine into NATO because it will mean that the option of … war will remain open," Kuleba told Politico in Kyiv Friday.

"The only way to shut the door for the Russian aggression against Europe and Euro Atlantic space as a whole is to take Ukraine in NATO, because Russia will not dare to repeat this experience again."

Kuleba’s remarks come as NATO prepares for a summit this month in Vilnius, Lithuania, which is likely to include discussions about Ukraine gaining membership into the alliance.

According to a June 27 article by the Council on Foreign Relations, the organization is facing its “"most complicated problem" resolving the Ukraine membership issue as several of the member states want to strengthen relations with Ukraine, but do not agree on several "crucial details," such as granting them full or partial membership, immediate membership, or gradually phased in, or if NATO should wait until the end of the Russian conflict to make a decision.

NATO was formed in 1949 following the devastation in Europe from World War II and the rise of Russia and communism aggression, the organization’s website said.

Article 5 of the treaty declares that an attack on one member is deemed an attack on all members, bringing about a potentially large military, or nuclear, action in retaliation.

The organization currently has 31 member nations including North Macedonia and Finland, which became part of the alliance in 2020 and 2023, respectively.

While NATO is open to "any other European state in a position to further the principles of this treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area," all member nations must agree to the addition of countries wishing to join.

NATO said in a June 2 article that "a strong, independent, Ukraine is vital for the stability of the Euro-Atlantic area. Relations between NATO and Ukraine date back to the early 1990s and have since developed into one of the most substantial of NATO’s partnerships."

Politico reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials are looking for an invitation to come from the summit, officially inviting them to join once the conflict with Russia ends.

"Do not repeat the mistake [Former German] Chancellor [Angela] Merkel made in Bucharest in 2008 when she fiercely opposed any progress towards Ukraine’s NATO membership," Kuleba told Politico. "This decision opened the door for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to invade Georgia and then to continue his destabilizing efforts in the region, and then eventually illegally annexing Crimea.”

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