NATO summit may adopt a stronger statement on Ukraine

The communiqué of the upcoming NATO summit is already "taking shape" and there is a chance to convince more cautious allies to change their position and issue more decisive statements on Ukraine.

According to LRT, this was stated by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda at a joint briefing with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Vilnius.

Nausėda said that the draft communiqué is already "taking on clear outlines" and the allies continue to have very active discussions on Ukraine's membership prospects and other important issues.

He noted that Poland and Lithuania are not the only active lobbyists for the strongest possible decision on Ukraine, and there are still chances to convince allies who are more cautious.

"There is a wide range of countries that want a stronger text on Ukraine, and by working together we can argue that the communiqué can still be improved," said Gitanas Nausėda.

He noted that Ukraine's accession to NATO is in the interests of NATO itself, as it is now the only army in Europe that has direct experience of confronting Russian troops in a full-scale war. Nauseda also emphasized that Ukraine's resistance "buys time" for other European countries, which have the opportunity to better prepare for possible threats from Russia in the future.

"We hope that the allies will decide that Ukraine no longer needs a 'preparatory path' to join NATO in the future, but that this path will be shortened for it," Andrzej Duda said.

Author - Olena Madiak, 05/07/2023