Ukraine’s Relationship with NATO Strengthened

On the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed on Wednesday that Ukraine is now closer to the alliance than ever before.

This became known during a joint press conference with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.

Supporting Ukraine’s Military Actions

“I look forward to the day we meet as allies,” Stoltenberg told Zelensky, without giving further details about when Ukraine would become a NATO member.

support the war effort

At the same time, he added that supporting Ukraine’s military actions against Russia remains the most urgent task for Western allies at the present time, despite ongoing negotiations on the future accession of Ukraine to the alliance.

And he added: “Of course, guarantees, documents and council meetings are important, but the most urgent task now is to provide enough weapons to the President of Ukraine (Vladimir) Zelensky and his armed forces.”

“after the war”

In turn, Zelensky said he was “sure” that his country would join NATO “after the ongoing war” with Russia.

During a press conference, he stressed: “I am sure that Ukraine will become a member of NATO after the war. And we will do everything in our power to achieve this,” AFP reported.

not “alternative”

While he welcomed the “security guarantees” that the G7 decided to provide to his country, at the same time he stressed that these guarantees cannot replace Ukraine’s request to join NATO.

He stressed that “security guarantees are very important for the Ukrainian people, but they are guarantees of Ukraine’s membership in NATO” and not “a substitute for (joining) NATO.”

Long Range Weapon

In addition, he signaled that his country needed long-range weapons to fight Russian forces in Ukraine, and that he would raise the issue in talks with his US counterpart, Joe Biden.

At the same time, he thanked Biden for the decision to provide cluster munitions to Kyiv, saying that they are necessary for the defense of Ukraine and help in the restoration of Russian-controlled territories.

Long Term Commitment Plan

Notably, the G-7 members presented on Wednesday a long-term security commitment plan for Ukraine on the second and last day of the NATO summit.

In response, the Kremlin considered that security guarantees from the Western powers “would undermine Russia’s security and make Europe even more dangerous for years to come.”