Lithuanian President: Ukraine's NATO Membership After the War

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda urged NATO leaders to be more bold in discussing Ukraine's request for NATO membership during a summit taking place in his country next week. He stated, "This step will strengthen Kyiv's performance on the battlefield," noting that "Moscow will view any caution in this regard as a weakness." He emphasized that "we should not hesitate to make bolder decisions, as otherwise, the Putin regime will consider the Western allies too weak. The strength of our statements regarding Ukraine will certainly boost the morale of Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield, which is crucial." Nausėda confirmed that "a promise for an easier pathway to membership can be offered after the war, along with further commitments for military support to Ukraine at next week's meeting." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to attend in Vilnius, despite his warnings that "there's no point" in attending if Kyiv doesn't receive a "signal" at the meeting. Nausėda mentioned that "several countries are preparing to announce an additional set of commitments (military support) for Ukraine during the NATO summit."