Zelenskyy wants Ukraine's invitation to NATO summit: Strong political signal needed
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (photo: Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine is already preparing for the upcoming NATO summit scheduled for July in the United States. Kyiv wants to be invited to join the alliance, states Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"We are also preparing for the NATO summit to be held this summer. We need a strong political signal - the Alliance should not be afraid of its own strength and hide from its own foundations. Every country that shares common values and is ready to actually defend them deserves an invitation to join the Alliance," the President emphasized.
This year's NATO summit is scheduled for July 9-11. The summit, which is dedicated to the 75th anniversary of NATO, will be held in Washington. The United States has stated its expectation that the summit will result in a NATO decision on long-term support for Ukraine.
Ukraine and NATO membership
After Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine applied for NATO membership. At the same time, Kyiv demanded an accelerated accession procedure without the so-called NATO Membership Action Plan. That is, Ukraine wants to become a member of the alliance without any preconditions.
At last year's summit in Lithuania, NATO countries promised that Ukraine would definitely become a member of NATO immediately after the war. However, Kyiv wants to receive an official invitation that would guarantee its accession to the alliance.
According to Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, the United States and Germany oppose an official invitation to NATO.
At the same time, Stefanishyna emphasized that the decision to invite Ukraine to NATO is not tied to the Washington summit.
