According to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, NATO will not formally invite Ukraine to join the alliance at the forthcoming summit in Vilnius in mid-July.
Stoltenberg reiterated after meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin that, while the summit would debate methods to bring Ukraine closer to NATO, no formal invitation will be issued.
Stoltenberg also stressed the significance of not accepting a frozen conflict in Ukraine as a solution to the conflict. “We all want this war to end, but a just peace cannot mean freezing the conflict and accepting a deal dictated by Russia,” he said.
This announcement comes in the midst of high expectations from Ukraine regarding the NATO summit. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov recently expressed that Ukraine already plays a crucial role as NATO’s eastern flank, defending democratic and civilized Europe against Russia.
Reznikov further stressed that the defense of Europe is not an abstract concept for Ukraine and that the country is eagerly awaiting clarity on its prospects for NATO membership. The goal is to address practical issues and make progress within Ukraine’s defense ministry and armed forces, enabling the necessary political decisions to be made at the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius.
Reznikov will attend a NATO-Ukraine commission meeting at the level of military ministers in Brussels as part of ongoing discussions. The meeting comes after the Contact Group on Ukraine’s Defense, also known as the Ramstein group.
The NATO summit, which will take place in Vilnius on July 11 and 12, will address critical issues concerning the region’s security and cooperation.
