“If the Allies agree that the conditions have been met, we will open an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO”He emphasized this “Unity, strong message on Ukraine’s path to membership” of the alliance.
“Once this war is over, we need to make sure that there is a plan for Ukraine’s defense so that history doesn’t repeat itself.“.
“The decisions taken in Vilnius mark the beginning of a new chapter in the relationship between NATO and Ukraine. Today we meet and are on equal footing”.
“I hope we meet soon as partners”He concluded by addressing the President of Ukraine.
“Understands” Why Ukraine Isn’t Joining NATO Now
The Ukrainian president reversed his stance and admitted this Wednesday that he realized Ukrainians could not join NATO while the war with Russia was ongoing.
“We understand that you are afraid to talk about our membership in NATO now, because nobody wants a world war.”Volodymyr Zelensky said during a press conference with the Secretary General of NATO.
“We are civilized people and we realize that we cannot join NATO when we are in the middle of a war. It is clear, Added.
However, Ukraine’s president said he hoped to join the alliance after the war. “I believe that Ukraine will be a member of NATO after the war. We will do everything possible to make that happen.”
Zelensky’s words signal a change in attitude after he said on Tuesday that it was “absurd” that Ukraine had not received a date or a formal invitation to join the Atlantic alliance at the summit in Vilnius.
While stressing that the invitation to join the alliance would have been “ideal”, Zelensky highlighted the positive results of the summit and recognized that “important steps” had been taken to simplify the process of joining NATO.
“Today we know for sure that Ukraine will become a member of NATO. This is the first time in all the dates that I have [com os aliados] I heard for sure that we are going to be members of NATO.Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president again asked for long-range weapons and said he would discuss the matter with US President Joe Biden.
“I know there are people who do not share this support, but I wanted to see this from the perspective of justice. Russia always uses these explosives in our territories, they kill our people with them, they occupy our territory”, he continued. Volodymyr Zelensky.
“There must be justice, it is not fair that the invaders occupying our territory use them,” he added.
The Ukrainian president thanked the United States for sending it and promised that the bombs would only be used “against Russian troops” inside the occupied part of Ukraine.
Leaders of NATO member states gathered in Vilnius for the second day of the summit. The 31 allies reinforced the idea of ​​supporting Kiev and bolstering military aid to Ukraine, but this did not mean immediate accession.
This is the first summit with Finland as a member of NATO. Sweden also got the green light to join the alliance after Turkey gave its approval on Monday.