Ukraine is seeking an invitation to initiate the process of joining NATO at the upcoming summit of the military alliance next month. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s aide has stated that if the leaders do not demonstrate “courage,” the president will not attend the summit.
Chief diplomatic adviser Ihor Zhovkva told Reuters that Kyiv wanted the July 11-12 NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania to deliver a response to the application for NATO membership that Ukraine filed on September 30, 2022.
“This application is now on the tables of the leaders of NATO allies. The Vilnius summit would be a very good start to respond to this application. And by respond, we mean invitation for membership, which is only the first stage,” he said.
In an interview in the heavily guarded president’s office in Kyiv, the Zelenskyy aide said “What we are asking for is to start the procedure,” and banged on the table at one point to drive his point home.