Lithuania fights for Ukraine's NATO membership despite pressure
Photo: Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė (x.com/DSakaliene)
The number of politicians in Washington and Warsaw who oppose Ukraine's accession to NATO is growing. At the same time, Lithuania steadfastly insists on supporting Kyiv, Politico reports.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė said she would not give up on Ukraine's membership in NATO. She emphasized that the final decision on accession should be made exclusively by the alliance, not the Kremlin.
Lithuania is under constant threat of potential Russian aggression through the Suwalki Gorge, a strategic corridor between Kaliningrad and Belarus.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, as well as pro-Kremlin NATO allies Hungary and Slovakia, and newly elected Polish leader Karol Nawrocki, are opposed to Ukraine's membership in the alliance.
Accordingly, internal discussions within NATO have even debated whether to invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the summit in The Hague.
Šakalienė emphasized that Lithuania supports Zelenskyy's participation in the summit, as it will demonstrate the strength and unity of the alliance, especially in supporting Ukraine.
Raising GDP
In parallel with the issue of NATO membership, allies are discussing raising their military spending targets to 5% of GDP by 2030, which is faster than the target proposed by NATO chief Mark Rutte, who suggests 2032.
Lithuania's defense minister emphasized that part of these resources should be used to arm Ukraine. According to her, the revival of the Ukrainian army should be based not on declarations, but on capabilities.
Threat from Russia and China
She also drew attention to the need to achieve NATO's military capability targets as soon as possible, particularly on the northeastern flank.
Despite the change in US policy under Trump, Šakalienė assured that Europe's support will remain critical.
At the same time, she expects that after the Hague Summit, NATO will officially announce any possible changes in the US military presence in Europe.
The minister also warned of a broader threat to the world order from Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran, which have joined forces to destabilize it.
Ukraine's accession to NATO
On September 30, 2022, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk, and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal signed an application for Ukraine's accession to NATO under the fast-track procedure.
Already in June 2024, NATO countries adopted a three-part package to bring Ukraine closer to the Alliance and abandoned the Membership Action Plan (MAP).
Instead, US President Donald Trump, after taking office, has repeatedly stated that Ukraine's membership in the bloc is unlikely.
Meanwhile, US Presidential Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg said that Washington recognizes the right of Russia to be concerned about NATO's possible eastward expansion and is ready to discuss this in the context of negotiations to end the full-scale war in Ukraine.
