NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg invited President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine to the NATO summit in Washington, at the joint press conference with the Ukrainian President, APA reports.
"Today, we discussed the preparations for the NATO Summit in July. So, Mister President, I look forward to welcoming you to Washington for that meeting", NATO Chief said.
Stoltenberg stated that the allies have already agreed to plan for a greater NATO role in coordinating security assistance and training for Ukraine: "The U.K. has just announced its largest delivery yet – including dozens of combat boats, hundreds of vehicles, thousands of missiles, and millions of rounds of ammunition. Germany will deliver an additional Patriot system.
The Netherlands is contributing an additional 4 billion euros."
"Other Allies are looking into what more they can do. And I expect new announcements soon. So we are working hard to meet Ukraine’s urgent needs. And I have been clear that if Allies face a choice between meeting NATO capability targets or support to Ukraine, They should support Ukraine. And put plans in place to refill their stockpiles. Stocks can and will be replenished. Lives lost can never be regained", he added.
Stoltenberg stated that Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO: "Ukraine will become a member of NATO. The work we are undertaking now puts you on an irreversible path towards NATO membership. So that when the time is right, Ukraine can become a NATO member straightaway. I very much look forward to the day that the Ukrainian flag will fly high at the NATO Headquarters."
"To have that decision we need all Allies to agree, we need consensus, we need not the majority but actually 32 Allies to agree. And I don't expect that we will have that agreement by the Summit in July. But I really hope that we can demonstrate that we are moving Ukraine closer to membership, and that they will arrive as soon as possible for us to have Ukraine as a full member", said NATO Secretary General.
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