Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the results of the summit of NATO leaders in Vilnius on July 11-12. At a briefing, he called the results good for the country and the Ukrainian military. Zelenskyy also noted that the summit had formed a security foundation for Ukraine on its way to the alliance, UNIAN reported on July 13.
The president emphasized that the decision to provide Ukraine with military aid would help in “bringing victory in the war against the occupiers closer”. In addition, NATO member states agreed to remove the requirement for a MAP (membership action plan) for Ukraine. However, in order to join the alliance, a number of conditions must be met, among them reforms in the defense sector.
Zelensky said: “Very important: during these two days of the summit, we have removed any doubts and ambiguities about whether Ukraine will be in NATO. It will be! For the first time, not only do all members of the alliance agree on this, but a tangible majority in the alliance is energetically bringing it closer. Never before have the words “you are equal among equals” for Ukraine from other NATO members sounded really meaningful. Now everyone understands: this is a fact – equals among equals”.
“And we will definitely affirm this fact with our victory and NATO membership,” he said in an evening video message posted on his Telegram channel (as quoted by Kommersant). The president noted that Russia cannot now dictate its own terms for countries to join NATO, and added: “Once upon a time, Russia’s hosts really wanted to have their own barrier in front of NATO’s door.
We left this Russian ambition on the margins of European history – behind the fence of our unity in Europe and wider, in the free world”. Zelensky said: “For the first time since independence, we have formed a security foundation for Ukraine on its way to NATO. These are concrete security guarantees that confirm the top 7 democracies of the world. Never before have we had such a security foundation, and this is the level of the G7”. The president noted that the Ukrainian military would receive new military equipment after the NATO summit: air defense systems, missiles, armored vehicles and artillery.
Following the NATO summit, the G7 countries signed a declaration on Ukraine’s security guarantees. The Ukrainian president’s office said that this was an important victory on the way to joining the alliance. In addition, the summit announced the creation of the Ukraine-NATO Council.
