Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed confidence in his country's accession to NATO, stating that he expects a summit of the alliance, starting today in Lithuania, to produce a "way" for Kyiv to officially join.
In his televised night speech, he said: "We are still working on the wording, that is, the specific words that carry such assurance, but we are convinced of the fact that Ukraine will be part of this alliance." He added, "We are working on devising a way to get membership as clearly and as quickly as possible."
Zelensky stated that "the Vilnius summit must confirm that Ukraine is a member of the alliance, de facto, because it possesses its weapons and shares the same values." He pointed out that "even if there are differences in positions, it is still clear that Ukraine deserves to join the alliance, not now, as the war is ongoing, but we need to get clear evidence, and we need it now."
He emphasized that "not providing a timeline for Ukraine's accession to NATO during the summit held in Vilnius today, Tuesday, would be absurd." He added, "The ongoing ambiguity surrounding Ukraine's NATO membership would give Russia a motive to continue its terrorism."
European diplomats indicate that Ukraine's largest Western allies are still working on completing a joint framework that would pave the way for Kyiv to receive long-term security guarantees and may wait until after the summit concludes this week to announce those guarantees.
Negotiations are ongoing among NATO members regarding the formal invitation for Ukraine to join, the timing of that invitation, the conditions Ukraine must meet, and how its progress towards achieving this goal will be assessed.
An American official told Reuters that a bilateral meeting between Zelensky and President Joe Biden is scheduled, although the Ukrainian president has not yet officially confirmed his participation in the NATO summit.
