Although not yet invited to become a member of NATO, Ukraine is closer than ever to the US-led military alliance, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.
“Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before. I look forward to the day when we can meet as allies,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said today at a joint press conference. with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Stoltenberg also outlined a three-part program of support for Ukraine for many years to help Kiev move closer to NATO.
The plan would create a new NATO-Ukraine council, which would re-emphasize Ukraine’s membership in the US-led military alliance and remove the requirement for a Member Action Plan (MAP).
“The most urgent task right now is to make sure Ukraine has enough weapons,” the head of NATO said. “Ukraine has the right to choose its own path,” he said.
For his part, President Zelensky said that Ukraine’s failure to join NATO at the moment was “understandable” but that it would be better if Kiev received an invitation to join the alliance. He assessed that the results of the NATO summit were very positive and that it was important for Ukraine to be “special” without having to comply with the MAP.
At the press conference, Zelensky said that Ukraine still lacks serious long-range weapons. Therefore, he will bring up the issue in his talks with his US counterpart Joe Biden.
NATO leaders met on July 11 and July 12 to discuss a series of important issues, including aid to Ukraine and the prospect of Ukraine’s admission. The conference is of great significance to Ukraine in the context that the country’s military is conducting a counter-offensive campaign to regain territory controlled by Russia.
In a statement after the first day of the meeting, the NATO leader confirmed that Ukraine would be invited to join NATO “when the member countries agree and the conditions are met”.
G7 gives Ukraine security commitment
On the same day, representatives of G7 industrialized countries (France, Germany, Italy, Japan, USA, UK and Canada) signed a joint statement affirming their support for Ukraine.
The joint statement stated that the G7 will support Ukraine to ensure its defense capacity and prevent future hostile actions of Russia by providing Kiev with modern equipment and weapons, sharing intelligence and information. reporting and training support. In addition, the G7 is also committed to helping Ukraine rebuild the country.
In return, Ukraine must commit to reforms.
The Kremlin warned that the security guarantees the West was planning to provide Ukraine would be a dangerous mistake that would affect Russia’s own security and put Europe at greater risk for years to come.
“We consider this a very serious and very dangerous mistake. By providing security guarantees to Ukraine, these countries will ignore international principles and affect Russia’s security. They also make Europe worse. Europe becomes more dangerous in the coming years,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
