NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a press conference said that at the upcoming alliance summit (July 11-12) in Vilnius, a multi-year support package for Ukraine will be approved, which will bring it closer to the alliance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend the summit.
According to Mr. Stoltenberg, they are currently in the process of negotiating proposals for Ukraine. He did not give specific formulations, but assured that the decisions made “will make Ukraine even stronger and bring it closer to the alliance.”
Mr. Stoltenberg noted that the multi-year assistance plan was created to “guarantee full compliance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with NATO.”
“We will renew political ties, a NATO-Ukraine Council will appear, our leaders will confirm that Ukraine will become a member of NATO,” he assured.
Jens Stoltenberg also shared information on how the NATO-Ukraine Council will work. According to him, the Council will be a platform where the allies – 31 states and Ukraine – will be able to discuss agreements, as well as create separate committees for any problems.
It is the Council that will make the final decision on the issues under discussion.
The NATO summit will be held in Vilnius on July 11-12. At the end of June, the Estonian Prime Minister and the NATO Secretary General promised a quick “surprise” on Ukraine’s membership in the bloc.
At the same time, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said that Ukraine would not receive an invitation to join NATO at the upcoming summit.
The office of the Ukrainian president said that if the members of the alliance “show a lack of courage” on the issue of the country’s membership, then Mr. Zelensky would have no reason to go to Vilnius.
