NATO offers Ukraine a faster path to membership while critics say the plan is too vague
CBC
NATO leaders opened the door a bit wider for Ukraine on Tuesday by offering it an accelerated path to membership and continued support while it's at war with Russia.
The decision by the 31-nation military alliance falls short of the clear pathway with timelines for acceptance that the government of President Volodomyr Zelenskyy has been demanding.
"We reaffirmed that Ukraine will become a member of NATO and agreed to remove the requirement for a membership action plan. This would change Ukraine's membership path from a two-step process to a one-step process," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the conclusion of the summit's first day.
"We also made clear that we will issue an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO when allies agree and conditions are met. This is a strong package for Ukraine and a clear path towards its membership in NATO."
Zelenskyy criticized the plan in a tweet before arriving in Vilnius, Lithuania, saying that the wording was discussed without Ukraine's representatives being present. He said it gives his country little clarity on when and under what conditions membership will be granted.
He apparently was citing a draft text of the plan because the formal proposal was presented publicly just before Zelenskyy spoke to a rally in support of Ukraine in the centre of the Lithuanian capital.
"What allies have agreed today is a strong, united and positive message to Ukraine about enduring support, but also a positive message on the path forward for membership," Stoltenberg said.
"So there has never been a stronger message from NATO at any time, both when it comes to political message on the path forward for membership and the concrete support from NATO allies, military support, but also the practical support on how to ensure full interoperability."
Stoltenberg added that in "all the membership processes, there have not been timelines for those processes. They are conditions-based, have always been."
Despite Ukraine's battlefield experience — and the fact that it is operating more NATO equipment than any other member of the alliance right now, apart from
This story was first published on Oct. 20, 2025.
From three premiers in one year to demands for deeper accountability in the education system, a bone-dry August, and long-promised bridge and ferry toll cuts, 2025 delivered no shortage of news.
A retirement community in Port Charlotte, on the west coast of Florida, has its Canadian patriotism fiercely on display.
From the World Series to floods, photojournalist Ben Nelms’s coverage of daily life has offered a window into current events in British Columbia.
According to Cole DeLargie-Campbell, being diagnosed with a terminal disease has been both deeply sad and a “blessing in disguise.”
The coming year will see some changes to existing tax measures, the abandonment of others and some help for personal support workers. But overall changes to the taxes individuals pay will be minor in 2026.
WARNING: This story contains references to missing and murdered Indigenous people. Resources can be found at the bottom of this story.
New year changes from federal, provincial and municipal governments are hitting Toronto this year, ranging from more Vitamin D in dairy products to new 407 ETR rates and recycling changes.
Out with the old, in with the new.
It's been a wild week of winter weather in the London region, with freezing rain, snow, high winds and temperature swings.
From Sydney to Paris to New York City and Toronto, crowds rang in the new year with exuberant celebrations filled with thunderous fireworks or light shows, while others took a more subdued approach.
Four-time Olympian Ellie Black and Mi’kmaw ethnologist Roger Lewis are among the latest Nova Scotian appointees to the Order of Canada.
Christmas is often a time of gathering and community for church communities, but one church on the outskirts of Fredericton found itself a victim of theft this holiday season.