Kiev, Ukraine – The forthcoming NATO summit in Vilnius, scheduled for July 11-12, awaits a final decision from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding his country’s participation. Both President Zelensky and Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishyna confirmed that the decision is yet to be made.
During an interview with ABC TV channel, Zelensky expressed his desire for all decisions to be made during the summit itself. He stated, “I don’t want to go to Vilnius just like that if the decision has already been made in advance.” The Ukrainian leader emphasized the importance of Ukraine receiving clear security guarantees as a non-NATO member and called for NATO to demonstrate that it is not afraid of Russia.
Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishyna echoed Zelensky’s sentiment, indicating that there is still no definitive verdict on the president’s participation in the Vilnius NATO summit. She stated, “No final decisions (on the President’s visit) have been made yet. We don’t fully understand the format of all the meetings in Vilnius, nor do we fully comprehend the decisions that will be presented.”
In late June, Zelensky’s office declared that the Ukrainian president would not attend the Vilnius summit if the alliance members lacked the courage to address Ukraine’s membership aspirations. However, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recently announced Zelensky’s participation in the first meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council, set to take place on the sidelines of the summit in the Lithuanian capital.
While Stoltenberg previously stated that the summit would not focus on inviting Kyiv to join the alliance, but rather on bringing Ukraine closer to NATO, he affirmed that all NATO member states concur that Ukraine will eventually become part of the military bloc.
The issue of Ukraine’s membership has sparked concerns within NATO due to fears of heightened tensions with Russia. US President Joe Biden acknowledged the possibility of Ukraine’s NATO accession in the future but warned that such a move before resolving the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict could escalate tensions between the alliance and Russia. Biden emphasized that NATO follows an “open door policy” but underscored the necessity for Ukraine to fulfill the required conditions for membership.
According to a report in The Daily Telegraph, Germany has expressed apprehension about a potential military conflict with Russia. Consequently, Germany is purportedly advocating for a postponement of the proposal to admit Ukraine to NATO at the Vilnius summit.
As the decision-making process continues, Ukraine’s involvement in the NATO summit remains in limbo, awaiting President Zelensky’s final determination. The outcome will undoubtedly have significant implications for the region and the ongoing efforts to foster stability and security. The deliberations surrounding Ukraine’s path towards NATO membership underscore the complex geopolitical landscape and the delicate balance between security interests and diplomatic considerations.
