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NATO makes membership pledge to Ukraine as Zelenskiy drums up support

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President

07 July 2023 19:32 (UTC +04:00)

The head of NATO said on Friday the military alliance would unite at a summit next week on how to bring Kyiv closer to joining, while Ukraine's president drummed up support for its membership bid on a tour of several NATO states, APA reports citing The Gazette.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited the Czech Republic and Slovakia a day after holding talks in Bulgaria, and was due to travel to Turkey later on Friday on the next stage of his tour.

In Prague, he won a pledge of support for Ukraine to join NATO "as soon as the war (with Russia) is over", and in Sofia secured backing for membership "as soon as conditions allow". Slovakia said the question of Kyiv's membership was "when", not "if".

At a news conference in Bratislava, Zelenskiy said he expected unity among NATO member states at the summit in Vilnius and wanted concrete steps on Ukraine's movement to join the alliance.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg reiterated that Ukraine would become a member, but the alliance is divided over how fast this should happen. Some countries are wary of any step that might take the alliance closer to war with Russia.

"For 500 days, Moscow has brought death and destruction to the heart of Europe," Stoltenberg told a news conference in Brussels ahead of the July 11-12 NATO summit in Vilnius.

"Our summit will send a clear message: NATO stands united, and Russia's aggression will not pay."

Zelenskiy has acknowledged that Kyiv is unlikely to be able to join NATO while at war with Russia.

But he said on Thursday Ukraine needs "a clear signal, some concrete things in the direction of an invitation" at the summit, and it is unclear what Kyiv will be offered in Vilnius.

President Vladimir Putin has cited NATO's expansion towards Russia's borders over the past two decades as a reason for his decision to send tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

He has threatened unspecified action if Ukraine joins NATO.