BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A number of NATO members are waiting for the new U.S. administration to take office before making up their minds on Ukraine’s request for an invitation to join the U.S.-led transatlantic alliance, Latvia’s foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Ukraine declared it would not settle for anything less than NATO membership to guarantee its future security, as the alliance sidestepped Kyiv's call for an immediate invitation at a foreign ministers' meeting on Tuesday.

Ukraine on Tuesday blasted an agreement struck 30 years ago under which it relinquished nuclear weapons in exchange for security assurances that never materialised, as it makes a concerted push for an invitation to join the NATO alliance.

Ukraine declared it would not settle for anything less than NATO membership to guarantee its future security, even though the alliance is expected to sidestep Kyiv's call for an immediate invitation at a foreign ministers' meeting on Tuesday to join.