Ukraine to become NATO and EU member - Stubb
Photo: Alexander Stubb, President of Finland (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The only thing that Russia understands is force. In particular, it should realize that no matter what it does, the exact opposite happens, stated Finnish President Alexander Stubb during a press conference.
"The only thing that Putin and Russia understand is power. Putin and Russia need to understand that what they expected to do - the exact reverse happens. They wanted to russify Ukraine - it became European. They wanted to prevent Ukraine's EU membership - they (Ukraine - ed.) will become members of the European Union. They wanted to prevent the enlargement of NATO - Ukraine will become a NATO member. Finland and Sweden became NATO members as well," said Stubb.
Ukraine's EU accession
At the end of February 2022, after the outbreak of a full-scale war, Ukraine officially applied to join the European Union. The country was later granted candidate status. In December 2023, at the EU leaders' summit, it was decided to start negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the bloc. Negotiations officially began on June 25.
Ukraine's accession to NATO
From July 9 to 11, the NATO summit is taking place in Washington, DC. One of the main issues on the agenda is Ukraine's potential membership in the Alliance.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kyiv understands that it will not receive an official invitation to join NATO during the summit, but hopes to see "something similar to an invitation."
A few months ago, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the summit in Washington would discuss the development of a roadmap for Ukraine's accession to NATO.
