Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky urged the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to invite his country to join the alliance and asked for help to “overcome reluctance” of the allies to deliver crucial weapons to kyiv to fight against Russia.
(Also: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visits Ukraine)
“It’s time” for Nato to invite UkraineZelensky told the secretary general of the transatlantic military alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, who was visiting kyiv.
Stoltenberg traveled to kyiv this Thursday without prior announcement. This is his first visit to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.
‘NATO is with you today, tomorrow, and as long as it takes’
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday in kyiv that it is not possible to predict when the war will end, but that the atlantic alliance will continue to support ukraine “as long as it takes” and that that country has the “right” to be part of the Atlantic alliance.
Ukraine is rightfully entitled to a place in the Euro-Atlantic family. Ukraine is entitled by right to a seat in NATO
He also stated that the priority is the Ukrainian military victory over Russia and that the question of Ukraine’s accession to the Alliance would be discussed at the July summit in Lithuania.
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“The future of Ukraine is in the Euro-Atlantic family, the future of Ukraine is in NATO. At the same time, the main goal of the Alliance, of the allies, is ensure Ukraine winsStoltenberg declared, along with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky.
“We don’t know when this war will end, but we know that Russian aggression follows a toxic pattern that must be interrupted“, he added.
That is why the NATO countries have provided 65,000 million euros of military aid to Ukraine since the start of the invasion and are now supplying “more fighter planes, tanks and armored vehicles,” Stoltenberg recalled.
The doors of NATO are still open
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Stoltenberg noted that in this regard, during his meeting with Zelensky, he discussed with him a “multi-year support initiative” that will help Ukraine transition Soviet-era equipment and doctrines to Western standards and ensure interoperability with the Otán in military terms.
“NATO is with you today, tomorrow, and as long as it takes,” he stressed.
Ukraine has unanimous support, says Stoltenberg
Looking ahead to the next summit in Vilnius, the Secretary General indicated that the issue of Ukraine’s integration into NATO and security guarantees by its members will be high on the agenda.
we will be members
of the alliance
All the allies agree that kyiv’s future is in NATO, he assured, but qualified that the priority is that Ukraine “prevails” in the warsince only in this way will it continue to be an independent nation and it will make sense to consider joining the alliance.
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“The doors of NATO remain open. And that’s why what we do, the support we provide to Ukraine, makes a future Ukrainian membership possible,” he said.
Zelensky, for his part, expressed the expectation that during the summit in Vilnius, which he said will be a “historical event“, “specific and concrete” steps are announced on the future of Ukraine in NATO, something for which there is no “objective barrier” that prevents it.
“We need something better than the current relationship format,” declared the Ukrainian president.
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Zelensky stressed that Kiev will not accept an “alternative” or “compromise solution” that replaces membership in the alliance, a message he said is addressed to “those leaders of countries that are permanently seeking compromises for Ukraine’s membership.” .
“We will be members of the alliance”he stressed, and asked that until that happens, NATO extend “security guarantees”, something that “if the possibility arises” could already happen in Vilnius.
Santiago Andres Venera Salazar
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With information from AFP and EFE
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