NATO invitation will protect Ukraine from Russia's imperial ambitions - Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (president.gov.ua)
When Ukraine receives an invitation to join NATO, it will create an impenetrable defensive wall against Russia's imperial ambitions. This would pave the way for victory in Eastern Europe, reducing the likelihood of future conflicts in other regions, citing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the Ukraine-Northern Europe summit.
During his address, Zelenskyy called for increased support in equipping Ukrainian brigades and urged greater investment in Ukrainian weapons production, particularly in long-range missiles, drones, and electronic warfare systems.
"We see Putin is ramping up his arms production and rogue regimes like Pyongyang are aiding him. Next year, as we understand, Putin aims to match the EU’s production of munitions. We can only prevent this now," Zelenskyy said.
The President emphasized that it is crucial for Ukraine to receive an invitation to join the North Atlantic Alliance.
"When Ukraine receives an invitation to NATO, it will become an unbreakable defensive wall against Russia’s imperial ambitions. Russia must end its aggressive stance, and that starts with letting go of its ambitions over Ukraine," the president said.
He added that all the points he outlined form part of Ukraine’s victory plan. Zelenskyy urged support for his plan and called for efforts to work with skeptical partners.
Ukraine's NATO membership
Ukraine had hoped to receive an invitation to NATO at the Washington summit in July, but that did not happen. NATO maintains that its "doors are open" to Ukraine, though membership is conditional on the end of the war.
President Zelenskyy reported a consensus among most NATO countries on extending an invitation, yet noted that Germany remains cautious, likely due to the US stance.
The US, meanwhile, has said that the Alliance is currently not ready to offer Ukraine membership.
