NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday declined to commit to whether Ukraine's application to join the alliance will be fast-tracked, saying its bid to join "needs to be taken by consensus."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced last week that his country will file an expedited application to join NATO. During an appearance on NBC's "Meet The Press," moderator Chuck Todd asked the NATO chief whether the alliance would fast-track Ukraine's application about the alliance's open-door policy to allow countries to join the alliance.

"NATO has an open-door policy and every nation, including of course also Ukraine, has the right to choose its own path, including what kind of security arrangements it wants to be a part of," Stoltenberg told Todd. "At the same time, any decision on membership has to be taken by consensus. All thirty allies have to agree to make such a decision."

Stoltenberg said the main focus of the alliance is continuing to support Ukraine in fighting back against Russia.