“NATO and the United States need to continue to support Ukraine because they’re almost there,” Haley said Monday on Fox & Friends. “They just have to keep supporting them, not in blank checks, but give them the anti-drone equipment, give them what they need to finish the deal, because this will set the tone not only for Russia, but China.”

NATO has publicly backed Ukraine since the war’s inception in late February.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday expressed support for Ukraine taking back multiple territories claimed by Russia in what many have called illegitimate voter referendums.

The same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced an accelerated bid to join the alliance, saying, “De facto, we have already completed our path to NATO.”

In September, NATO officials said that “a strong, independent Ukraine is vital for the stability of the Euro-Atlantic area,” adding that relations between both “have developed into one of the most substantial of NATO’s partnerships”—notably since Russia’s “illegal annexation” of Crimea in 2014.

NATO officials referred Newsweek to comments Stoltenberg made Friday when asked about Ukraine’s NATO membership request.

“Every democracy in Europe has the right to apply for NATO membership, and NATO allies respect that right. … Our focus now is on providing immediate support to Ukraine, to help Ukraine defend itself against the Russian brutal invasion,” Stoltenberg said. “And that’s the main focus and the main effort of NATO allies, as we speak.”

He added that if a consensus was reached by all 30 NATO member countries, then a decision could possibly be made about Ukraine’s request.

Zelensky’s push for expedited membership was not met with solidarity by the U.S.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Friday that NATO membership on Ukraine’s behalf should be taken up “at a different time.”

“It’s hard. [Russian President Vladimir Putin’s] got his tentacles in every agency,” Haley said. “He’s always been paranoid. So [removing him from power] is going to be a hard thing. He’s dangerous. You can’t imply that he’s not. He’s dangerous, but he knows he’s falling. And he’s got to figure this out quick.”

In an editorial Sunday in the state-owned Global Times, China escalated potential nuclear tensions with the U.S. and the West if Ukraine’s membership request is ultimately accepted.

“In that case, there will be no security for anyone, not for Ukraine, and not for the world,” the editorial said. “Instead of pursuing resolutions to end the conflict, Washington has, over and over again, displayed that the US is charging toward the other direction—fanning the flames of war.”

China has toed the line of support for and disapproval of Putin’s actions, saying it believes in territorial sovereignty while also respecting existing U.N. charters.

“China stands ready to work with members of the international community to continue to play a constructive part in de-escalation efforts,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Friday.

The Associated Press reported that the leaders of nine NATO countries—Czechia (Czech Republic), Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania and Slovakia—published a statement in support of Ukraine’s inclusion.

“We support Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion, demand (that Russia) immediately withdraw from all the occupied territories and encourage all allies to substantially increase their military aid to Ukraine,” the statement read.

Newsweek reached out to NATO and Zelensky’s office for comment.

Update 10/3/22, 2:01 p.m. ET: This story was updated with a response from NATO.