Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he understands that Ukraine will not become a member of NATO before the end of the conflict, but would like the support of partners in the form of an invitation to the alliance today.
⠀
“The best guarantee of Ukraine’s security… is membership in NATO. As long as the war is going on, we will not be in NATO. We understand this, but we would like our partners to take steps in addition to “open doors” to meet us that would motivate the Ukrainian community. .. We would like support today. We want an invitation for Ukraine,” Zelensky said at a press conference in Finland.
⠀
He noted that Ukraine’s goal is to become a full member of NATO. According to him, this is one of the reasons for his visit to Finland.
⠀
Earlier, the Office of the Finnish President reported that Zelensky on Wednesday arrived on an unannounced visit to Finland, where a summit of the Nordic countries and Ukraine will be held. It is expected that during the talks, Zelensky and Finnish President Sauli Niinistö will discuss bilateral relations, support for Kyiv. In the afternoon, a summit of the Nordic countries will be held, at which further support for Ukraine, the development of Kyiv’s relations with the EU and NATO will be discussed.
⠀
In September 2022, the Ukrainian leadership submitted an application for NATO membership. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on April 20, at a joint press conference with Zelensky in Kyiv, said that Ukraine chooses its future in the North Atlantic family, and members of the alliance agree with this. The next NATO summit is to be held in Vilnius in July.
