Lithuania invited Ukraine to become a member of NATO at the summit of the military alliance to be held in Vilnius in July.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that he still sees his country on the path to joining NATO, despite Russia’s war showing no sign of abating after 13 months of conflict. “This week we saw a good direction of ‘moving towards NATO’, through new military aid from the West and other expressions of international support,” Zelenski said in his daily video message.
Zelensky referred to Lithuania’s proposal to invite Ukraine to become a member of NATO at the summit of the military alliance to be held in Vilnius in July, and then thanked that country. The Baltic country’s parliament decided this week to request that Ukraine be invited to join the alliance at a summit scheduled for July 11-12. Ukraine’s bid to join NATO is often cited by the Kremlin as one of the reasons for Russia’s invasion last February.
Last year, Zelensky pushed for “fast-track” accession to NATO, hoping that Ukraine would receive preferential treatment. The US and other members of the alliance, such as Germany, have expressed reservations about it, because one of the preconditions for entry is non-involvement in international conflicts.
In his message, Zelensky called for support for countries that have yet to clearly distance themselves from Russia, saying that Ukrainians are fighting for universal values that are close to all peoples. “Everyone appreciates security and protection from terror,” Zelensky said, adding that Russia advocates “concentration camps, deportation of children, rape of women and burning of cities.”
(WORLD)