MFA names condition for Zelenskyy’s trip to NATO summit: Strong decisions needed
Photo: Andrii Sybiha, Foreign Minister of Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine expects decisions from its partners that will allow the country to bolster its defence. If such decisions are made, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the NATO summit in The Hague will become possible, states Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha during a briefing with Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys.
The ministers were asked whether NATO member states would refer to Russia as a common enemy in the final communiqué of the Alliance summit, which will take place in The Hague on June 24–26.
Budrys’ response
The Lithuanian Foreign Minister said that those topics would certainly be included in the joint declaration, as had already been the case in Washington, at the Madrid summit, in Brussels, and Vilnius in 2022, since they concerned key security issues and Russia posed a military threat.
Budrys also pointed out that following the last two Alliance summits, the Allies have emphasized that Ukraine’s path to NATO is irreversible. And nothing has changed in that regard.
He added that negotiations on the summit communiqué have only just begun.
Sybiha’s response
For his part, Sybiha reminded that no third country, including Russia, has the right to veto Ukraine’s NATO membership.
He added that the security of Ukraine and Euro-Atlantic security are indivisible, and Ukraine is not a party that is simply asking. Rather, Ukraine can significantly strengthen the security of the entire Euro-Atlantic area.
"In order to make President Zelenskyy’s participation in this event (referring to the NATO summit – ed.) possible, there must be strong and concrete decisions that immediately enhance our defence capabilities. Based on this logic, we shape our expectations and communicate them directly to our partners," Sybiha said.
Zelenskyy’s participation in the NATO summit
Back on June 3, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine had been invited to the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague.
At the same time, media reports indicated that the United States had opposed such an invitation.
