Jens Stoltenberg made the remark in an interview with Germany’s Funke media group, published on Sunday, the France24 website reported.
The NATO chief said he was confident Ukraine would join NATO at some point in the future.
He stated: “There is no doubt that Ukraine will eventually be in NATO.”
In July, NATO leaders pledged in the Vilnius Summit Communiqué that “that Ukraine will become a member of NATO,” and that “Ukraine’s path to full Euro-Atlantic integration has moved beyond the need for the Membership Action Plan.”
They also unveiled a multi-year assistance programme “to facilitate the transition of the Ukrainian armed forces from Soviet-era to NATO standards” and established a new NATO-Ukraine Council, as further measures to “bring Ukraine closer” to the alliance, according to officials.
NATO leaders also pledged: “We will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the Alliance when Allies agree and conditions are met.”
Asked by reporters what conditions Ukraine needed to meet for membership, Stoltenberg said at the time that one dimension was having “good governance … modern defence and security institutions,” and “the other issue is the ongoing war in Ukraine.”
The NATO summit in Vilnius adopted a framework paving the way for long-term security guarantees for Ukraine to deter Russian aggression, the DW website reported.
Ukraine pledged to improve government policies which included judicial and economic reforms as well as improving transparency, according to news outlets.
‘We must prepare for long war in Ukraine’: NATO chief
In Sunday’s interview, Stoltenberg also cautioned that “there will not be a swift end to the war in Ukraine,” France24 reported.
NATO’s secretary general said: "Most wars last longer than expected when they first begin. Therefore we must prepare ourselves for a long war in Ukraine."
Stoltenberg added: “"We are all wishing for a quick peace. But at the same time we must recognise: if President (Volodymyr) Zelensky and the Ukrainians stop fighting, their country will no longer exist. If President (Vladimir) Putin and Russia lay down their weapons, we will have peace.”
The NATO chief’s words came as Ukraine pushed on with its counteroffensive against Russia’s invading army, news outlets reported.
Sunday is day 571 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
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Source: PAP, dw.com, france24.com