“We need a clear and understandable signal at the Vilnius summit that Ukraine can become a full member of NATO after the war,” the Ukrainian head of state told reporters in Kiev, along with Prime Minister, Spaniard Pedro Sanchez, who visit. the country on the day the Spanish Presidency of the European Union begins.
“This alliance invitation is a very concrete first step that would be very important for us,” he added.
Zelensky argued that on Friday “NATO without Ukraine is not NATO”, and that the military organization cannot do without a country most experienced in defending its values and using its weapons.
When Zelensky was questioned by the Efe news agency about expectations for the next Allied summit in Vilnius and the possibility that the country will not receive guarantees during the NATO conclave that it will be included in the alliance after the end of the war, Zelensky said that “on the European continent there are armies with the experience of Ukraine”.
“And God forbid there is war in another European country,” he added.
Ukraine has systematically appealed to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to join the Alliance once the war with Russia is over.
On Wednesday, the Ukrainian president asked that the annual summit of the Atlantic Alliance, scheduled for July 11 and 12 in Vilnius, define concrete data for joining NATO
“We are a responsible state and we understand that we cannot be a member of NATO in wartime. But we must be sure that we will be after the war,” he told the Ukrainian parliament.
The Allies are still looking for a common thread in the security guarantees they want to give Kiev, beyond a possible membership.
On the 17th of this month, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, warned that Ukraine will not receive preferential treatment when the question of joining NATO comes up.
“[A Ucrânia] must meet all criteria. So we’re not going to make it easy,” Biden assured reporters.
At the summit to be held in the Lithuanian capital, Jens Stoltenberg has already assured that Ukraine will not be invited to join the Alliance, but underlined that NATO hopes to hold the first meeting of the new NATO-Ukraine Council with Volodymyr Zelensky. on the top.
Before the invasion of Ukraine, according to the Kremlin, Russia had put the brakes on the neighboring country’s membership of the Atlantic Alliance, threatening its sovereignty.
The Russian offensive in Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, has already convinced Finland and Sweden to end decades of neutrality and join the organization.
Finland is already a member of the organization, while Sweden is waiting for Turkey and Hungary to give the ‘green light’ for membership.
Source: DN
