JABAR EKSPRES – North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday revealed that he has no plans to extend an official invitation to Ukraine to attend the NATO summit in July.
“We are not discussing the issue of formal invitations. What we are talking about is how to bring Ukraine closer to NATO,” Stoltenberg told a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin.
He revealed there are ongoing consultations, but declined to share the outcome.
“The Vilnius summit in July will set out a vision for Ukraine’s future as a democratic and independent member of the Euro-Atlantic family,” Stoltenberg added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier demanded a “clear” decision on Ukraine’s path to NATO at the summit in Vilnius next month.
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If there is no decision on the matter at all, Zelenskyy sees no point in attending the meeting.
Stoltenberg emphasized that the allies will “reaffirm their unwavering support for Ukraine” in the fight against Russia.
Meanwhile, the German Chancellor reiterated that “NATO will not get involved” in the Ukrainian war.
“We must be prepared that a war of Russian aggression may take a long time. We are preparing for that and we are adjusting our policy accordingly. Germany will support Ukraine as long as it is necessary,” Scholz said.
Stoltenberg and Scholz’s talks in Berlin focused on preparations for the NATO summit in Vilnius.
