Nine NATO member countries declare their support for Ukraine’s membership in Alliance

Presidents of Central and Eastern European NATO Member States have strongly condemned the Russian military aggression against Ukraine and supported Ukraine's aspirations to join NATO.

This is said in a joint statement by the Presidents of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Montenegro and Slovakia, which was published on the website of the Polish president.

"We reiterate our support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. We do not recognize and will never recognize Russian attempts to annex any Ukrainian territory. We firmly stand behind the 2008 Bucharest NATO Summit decision concerning Ukraine's future membership," the statement says.

The leaders stated about the support for Ukraine in its defence against Russia's invasion, and demanded that Russia to immediately withdraw from all the occupied territories. They also called on all Allies to substantially increase their military aid to Ukraine

"All those who commit crimes of aggression must be held accountable and brought to justice," the leaders stressed.

As reported, on September 30, President Volodymyr Zelensky, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal signed Ukraine's application for accelerated accession to NATO.