Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked for Ukraine to join the defense alliance as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the G7’s senior diplomats are debating Russia’s escalating aggression against its neighbor. DW has the most recent information.
Ukraine, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, requires solid security guarantees ahead of a NATO meeting in Lithuania in July.
In his nightly speech on Saturday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko reiterated his country’s intention to join the military alliance as soon as feasible.
“Effective security guarantees for Ukraine (…) are needed even before we join the Alliance,” Zelenskyy added without further details.
Ukraine has sought to join the military alliance for years, but in February, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said, “Ukraine will become a member of our alliance, but at the same time that is a long term perspective.”
Zelenskyy wishes to join the alliance as soon as possible.
However, joining NATO requires that the candidate countries not be involved in foreign hostilities or territorial disputes.
As Ukraine continues to face Russian aggression, this offers a challenge.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine last year was justified in part by concerns over Ukraine’s prospective membership in NATO.
