Ukraine’s accession to NATO may now mean “the beginning of the Third World War”, said the former deputy secretary general of the alliance.

Rose Gottemueller told Sky News that US President Joe Biden “was right” to say that Kyiv was not ready to join NATO because it could mean “all-out war in Europe”.

“It could also mean the beginning of the Third World War, which is not in anyone’s interests, neither in Europe, nor in Ukraine, nor on the global front,” she said.

Gottemuller said that “it is clear that NATO is ready to accept Ukraine as a member as soon as possible.”

She added that it is significant that NATO has decided to abandon the so-called Accession Action Plan (AAP) for Ukraine, which defines the political, economic and military goals that candidates must achieve.

Asked if there was a danger of Russia using what Volodymyr Zelenskyy called “vague” wording to sow divisions within NATO, Gottemueller said that “this has been Russia’s modus operandi … since Soviet times.”

“This is something that NATO is very careful about and can counter,” she said.