Zelensky calls on Biden to invite Ukraine into NATO “now” – despite war

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky called on the White House chief, Joe Biden, to invite Ukraine to the North Atlantic Alliance now, even if Ukraine becomes a member of NATO after the end of the war.

The Ukrainian leader stated this in an interview with CNN, the full version of which will be released on July 5 at 19:00 Kyiv time.

Zelensky said that Biden is "the decision maker" about whether Ukraine will join NATO.

"He supports our future in NATO," but an invitation now would be a huge motivator for Ukrainian soldiers, Zelensky said about Boden.

The Ukrainian president was asked why not wait for the invitation. In response, Zelensky said it is "very important" that Ukraine receives the invitation "now."

"It's so important to feel that you are really being around allies in the future," Zelensky emphasized.

Zelensky added that the country understands that Ukraine will "never be in NATO before war finishes."

"We understand everything," Zelensky said. "But this signal is really very important. And depends on Biden's decision."

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.

Zelensky said at a joint press conference with the head of the Spanish government, Pedro Sanchez, in Kyiv on July 1 that "today's joint statement is the 21st such document with the members of the Alliance, and this is the majority."

The Vilnius municipality will join the initiative to support Ukraine's accession to NATO. At least 33,000 Ukrainian flags will be flown in the Lithuanian capital on July 7-11.