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NATO Stresses Ukraine’s Future in the Alliance, but with Conditions
The leaders of NATO have declared that Ukraine’s future lies within the military alliance, but they emphasized that an invitation will only be extended to Kyiv once certain conditions are met and all members agree. This announcement came as a disappointment to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the first day of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, during a press conference, stated that the alliance had sent a clear message of both political support for membership and concrete assistance from NATO allies, which he described as unprecedented. Stoltenberg also acknowledged Ukraine’s progress towards membership, attributing it in part to the country’s acquisition of military equipment and training from NATO members to defend against Russian forces since February 2022.
Notably, this development led to the removal of the requirement for Ukraine to fulfill a Membership Action Plan (MAP), which Stoltenberg highlighted as unprecedented. This statement came just hours after President Zelenskiy expressed his hope for a clear timeline for full integration or, at the very least, an invitation to start membership negotiations. However, the declaration released by NATO did not provide specific details about the conditions that need to be met.
Zelenskiy voiced his discontent with the “vague wording about conditions” even before the declaration was published. He questioned whether NATO was ready to invite Ukraine to join the alliance or grant membership. In response, Stoltenberg emphasized that previous accessions to NATO did not come with specific timelines, as they have always been conditions-based.
President Zelenskiy expressed concerns that the ambiguity surrounding the invitation would only benefit Russia and pledged to address this issue during the summit. He conveyed his intention to discuss these matters openly during his meeting with US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the summit.
Zelenskiy later spoke at a rally in Vilnius, affirming that Ukraine’s inclusion in NATO would enhance the security of both the country and the alliance itself. He expressed his firm belief in a strong NATO and urged for decisions that would meet the expectations of Ukrainian soldiers, citizens, mothers, and children.
Although the language used in the declaration fell short of Zelenskiy’s wishes, it strongly condemned Russia, describing it as the most significant and direct threat to the security, peace, and stability of NATO members in the Euro-Atlantic area.
Meanwhile, Russia criticized the summit, accusing NATO of treating it as an enemy and exacerbating the global security situation. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that Russia was closely monitoring the discussions and would take measures to ensure its own security.
Prior to the summit, France and Germany announced new military aid packages for Ukraine. President Emmanuel Macron revealed that France would supply long-range missiles to Ukraine, offering Kyiv forces the means to defend themselves. However, no further details regarding the quantity or type of missiles were provided.
In addition, an unnamed French military source disclosed that Paris had already started delivering a significant number of SCALP cruise missiles to Ukraine. These missiles, known as Storm Shadow in the United Kingdom, have a range of 250 kilometers and will be used only within Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders.
Furthermore, Germany announced that it would supply Ukraine with military armored vehicles and ammunition worth 700 million euros ($768 million).
On the day the summit commenced, Russia carried out another drone attack on Kyiv and Odesa, the second such attack this month. Ukrainian air defenses successfully repelled the attack, causing minimal damage in Kyiv. In Odesa, an administrative building and a grain terminal were targeted, resulting in no critical damage or injuries.
The Ukrainian air defense reported destroying 26 out of the 28 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Russia.
The NATO summit in Vilnius continues to address various issues related to security and the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
