The British Financial Times (FT) quoted sources on May 31 as saying that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made clear to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) the conditions for him to attend the bloc's summit, scheduled to take place in July in Vilnius, Lithuania.
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| Ukrainian President wants NATO to set a clear roadmap for Kiev to join the military alliance. (Source: Forbes) |
“President Zelensky has made it clear to NATO leaders that he will not go to the Vilnius summit without concrete security guarantees and a roadmap to joining the alliance,” the FT wrote.
There was no confirmation from Kiev about the above information, but earlier, speaking at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Oslo (Norway), Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on the military alliance to ensure Kiev's security on the path to joining.
In addition, according to Mr. Kuleba, the summit in July should strengthen institutional relations between Ukraine and this military organization.
NATO has so far not approved Ukraine's request to join the military alliance soon, as some member states are wary of moves they fear could push the bloc closer to a conflict with Russia.
At a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo from May 31 to June 1, officials are expected to seek to narrow differences over Ukraine’s bid to join the alliance, with allies divided over calls for the military alliance to at least take concrete steps to bring Kiev closer to membership at the Vilnius summit.
“It would be sad no matter how you look at it, if anyone could see the results of the Vilnius Summit as a victory for Russia in its efforts to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO one day,” Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said.
Last week, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine would not be able to join the alliance as long as the conflict with Russia continued. “Becoming a member state in the midst of conflict is not on NATO’s agenda,” he said.
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