Ukraine's absence from NATO summit would be Putin's victory – Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
If Ukraine is not invited to the NATO summit in June, it will be a victory for the Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Alliance, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The head of state noted that Ukraine has received signals from partners regarding participation in the NATO summit. However, Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine would like to have a completely open conversation with its partners.
In his opinion, if Ukraine is not present at the June NATO summit, it will be a victory for Putin over the Alliance.
"What matters is the nature of Ukraine's participation and the outcome of that participation in this summit. I believe this is the right and honest approach. In my view, if Ukraine is not present at the NATO summit, it will be a victory for Putin — not over Ukraine, but over NATO. Therefore, the decision is up to our partners," Zelenskyy said.
NATO summit in June
The NATO summit will take place in The Hague on June 24-25. Media reports suggest that the United States opposes inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the summit.
However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied these claims, stating that he does not know the source of this information.
Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp emphasized that the decision to invite Zelenskyy to the NATO summit is not made by the United States, but by the Alliance's Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Zelenskyy also stressed that it is very important for Ukraine to understand in what format it can be represented at the NATO summit.
