Zelensky confident Ukraine has all the grounds for political invitation to NATO

Ukraine has every reason to receive a political invitation to join the North Atlantic Alliance at the Vilnius summit in early July, says President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Ukrainian leader believes there is a complete understanding of security guarantees for Ukraine for the time until the moment of accession, Rubryka reports.

Zelensky also said he is working with the team to make the summit's decisions in Vilnius meaningful.

"There are all grounds for a political invitation of Ukraine to NATO," the Ukrainian leader emphasized.

What we know about Ukraine's accession to NATO

Ukraine clearly understands that it can join the North Atlantic Alliance only after the end of hostilities. However, it wants to receive a political decision regarding support for accession at the Alliance summit in Vilnius, which will be held on July 11-12.

According to POLITICO, support is growing for simplifying the conditions for Ukraine's membership in NATO among Alliance members. This makes it more likely that the proposal will become official during the NATO summit in Vilnius in July.

On September 30, 2022, President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Verkhovna Rada Chair Ruslan Stefanchuk, and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal signed Ukraine's application for accelerated accession to NATO.

On April 10, the Verkhovna Rada appealed to NATO member states and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly to speed up Ukraine's entry into the Alliance.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, during a telephone conversation with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, called for a step towards Ukraine's membership in NATO in Vilnius by removing the Membership Action Plan.

Stoltenberg said that the NATO allies agree that Ukraine will become a member of the Alliance but will not consider the issue of its formal invitation to join during the Vilnius summit.

Ukraine also wants to receive security guarantees from NATO members, which cannot be an alternative to membership. It should be noted that the Alliance is already considering several options for security guarantees for Ukraine.