Vilnius, July 11, 2023 - During a summit held in the Lithuanian capital, NATO leaders expressed their belief that Ukraine should eventually become a member of the military alliance. However, they did not extend an immediate invitation to Kyiv, much to the disappointment and frustration of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The summit took place as Ukrainian troops struggled to make significant gains in their counteroffensive against Russian invasion forces that had occupied parts of the country. In a declaration released at the meeting, the leaders stated that "Ukraine's future is in NATO." However, they did not provide a specific timeline for the accession process.

The declaration further stated, "We will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the alliance when allies agree and conditions are met." Unfortunately, the document did not specify the exact conditions that Ukraine needs to fulfill in order to join NATO.

Nevertheless, there was a positive development for Ukraine as NATO dropped the requirement for Kyiv to fulfill the Membership Action Plan (MAP), which had been seen as a hurdle on its path to alliance membership.

President Zelenskyy had already criticized NATO leaders even before the release of the declaration, describing the absence of a timeframe for the invitation or membership as "unprecedented and absurd." He expressed his disappointment during a rally in Vilnius, where he addressed thousands of people waving Ukrainian flags.

Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of NATO membership for Ukraine, stating, "NATO will make Ukraine safer, Ukraine will make NATO stronger." He voiced his wish for the belief in Ukraine's NATO membership to become a certainty, a decision that every soldier, citizen, mother, and child deserves.

“It’s unprecedented and absurd when time frame is not set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine's membership. While at the same time vague wording about "conditions" is added even for inviting Ukraine.

It seems there is no readiness neither to invite Ukraine to NATO nor to make it a member of the Alliance.

This means that a window of opportunity is being left to bargain Ukraine's membership in NATO in negotiations with Russia. And for Russia, this means motivation to continue its terror.

Uncertainty is weakness. And I will openly discuss this at the summit”. Zelenskyy stated on his twitter.

While the leaders did not outline the specific conditions Ukraine must meet, they assured that the alliance would support Kyiv in advancing military interoperability and implementing additional democratic and security sector reforms.

The summit in Vilnius concluded with an agreement among NATO leaders that Ukraine's future lies within the alliance. However, they stopped short of granting the immediate invitation and timetable for accession that Ukraine had been eagerly seeking.