Volodymyr Zelensky does not expect Ukraine to join NATO before the war is over, but hopes to receive assurances from Alliance leadership at the summit in Vilnius.
Some NATO member states do not want to see Ukraine in the Alliance because they are afraid of Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky talked about this in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
In July, the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, will host a NATO summit, where Ukraine expects to clarify the terms for joining the organisation. According to Volodymyr Zelensky, some countries are too afraid of direct confrontation with Russia, so they are prolonging the process, but the Alliance is under increasing pressure to provide certain security guarantees to Ukrainians and determine their path to membership. The president does not expect NATO to accept Ukraine when there is a war on its territory with Russia, but he does want to hear from his partners a promise to join the Alliance after victory.
If we don’t get a signal in Vilnius, I don’t think it makes sense for Ukraine to be at this summit.” When asked if Kiev could receive such a signal, the head of state replied: “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.”
As the WSJ recalls, in 2008 NATO announced that it would recruit Ukraine, but did not give specific dates. Ukraine applied for membership last year, but the US, the organization’s unofficial leader, avoided discussing the terms of membership and instead focused on providing military aid.
On June 2, Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine would not drag any NATO country into war with Russia. Speaking at a press conference in Kiev, the president added: Kiev is not looking for an alternative, but it needs security guarantees.
On 1 June, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Ukraine must prepare for the end of the war. The North Atlantic Alliance plans to continue supporting Ukraine after the end of hostilities to prevent a new invasion.
Source: Focus
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