NATO squabbles over speedy accession of Ukraine as decisive summit looms

FILE PHOTO: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg arrives at Oslo City Hall during NATO's informal meeting of foreign ministers in Oslo, Norway June 1, 2023. Hanna Johre/NTB/via REUTERS

OSLO (Reuters) - Moscow cannot stop Ukraine from becoming a NATO member, the alliance's chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday, as divisions among allies about the speed of Kyiv's accession became apparent only weeks before a decisive mid-July summit in Vilnius.

"All allies agree that Moscow does not have a veto against NATO enlargement," Stoltenberg told reporters as NATO foreign ministers gathered in Oslo, seeking to dispel any signs of discord ahead of the summit.