The Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia advocated providing security guarantees to Ukraine even before it joins NATO. They note that this should be done immediately after the war in order to prevent new aggression.
This is stated in a joint article on Foreign Affairs by the prime ministers of the three countries.
They call on NATO to clearly outline Ukraineʼs path to the Alliance at the upcoming summit in Vilnius — when and if Kyiv wants to, and when certain conditions are met.
In their opinion, if Ukraine does not receive security guarantees before joining, then the country "will not have any investments and sustainable recovery if it is not able to protect itself from future aggression."
"Now is the time for the alliance to lay out a clear and credible path for Ukraine’s membership, if and when Kyiv wishes and when conditions allow. And until then, we must be ready to provide security guarantees, beyond political assurances, that prevent Ukraine from becoming a gray zone once and for all, — say the prime ministers.
- On September 30, 2022, after Putin announced the annexation of the occupied territory of Ukraine, Zelensky announced that Ukraine would submit an application to NATO under an accelerated procedure. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Ukraineʼs victory should be a precondition for the start of negotiations on Ukraineʼs membership in NATO, and the Alliance members help her in this.