On the eve of the July summit in Vilnius, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the leaders will make three key decisions regarding Ukraine. In particular, he expects them to confirm Kyivʼs future membership in the defense bloc.
He informed about this at a press conference, the correspondent of "Europeyska Pravda" ["European Truth"] reports.
According to him, NATO members will agree on a multi-year support program that will help create full compatibility between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the armies of the Alliance countries.
Also, a Ukraine-NATO council will be launched at the summit to increase the level of political ties. Stoltenberg confirmed that President Volodymyr Zelensky will participate in the first meeting of this council.
- Earlier, NATO Secretary General stated that Ukraineʼs future membership in the Alliance will be discussed after the July summit in Vilnius.
- A summit of NATO countries will be held in Vilnius on July 11-12. The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba said that at this summit, the Alliance should make a political decision: to present a timetable for Ukraineʼs accession or to undertake to do so by the end of the year, so that this would be a signal to Russia. President Volodymyr Zelensky will also come to the summit — he has accepted the invitation.
- On June 15, the European Parliament called on NATO to invite Ukraine to the Alliance. The EU and its member states, together with NATO allies, should work closely with Ukraine to develop a time frame for security guarantees to be put in place immediately after the war. The Parliament emphasizes that Ukraineʼs integration into both NATO and the EU will strengthen regional and global security and strengthen ties between Ukraine and the Euro-Atlantic community.
- According to The Financial Times, the USA, Germany and Hungary are resisting attempts by Poland and the Baltic states to offer Ukraine a plan for NATO membership at the Allianceʼs July summit in Vilnius. Polish President Andrzej Duda calls for Ukraine to join NATO. However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron prefer to discuss security guarantees. France, Germany, Great Britain and the USA can become guarantors.