The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) confirmed in a draft declaration reviewed by the (DPA) agency on Wednesday that Ukraine’s path to membership in the alliance is "irreversible".

The wording aims to reassure Ukraine that "its future is within NATO". NATO leaders are expected to endorse the text officially in a declaration during a summit of the alliance in Washington that began yesterday, Tuesday, and will continue until tomorrow, Thursday.

The text emphasizes that Ukraine can only join when all current members agree. The United States and Germany, in particular, oppose accelerating the process, according to diplomatic sources within the alliance. However, NATO member states want to clarify that Russia cannot hinder Ukraine's accession to NATO by waging war on the country.

The text welcomes "tangible progress" by Ukraine in its "required democratic, economic, and security reforms" since the previous NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, a year ago.

NATO has agreed in principle to Ukraine's membership since 2008, while the Ukrainian constitution has stated the country’s ambitions to join the alliance since 2019.