Lithuania pushes admission: Zelenskyj relies on rapid NATO accession

Lithuania pushes uptake
Selenskyj relies on rapid NATO accession

Under normal circumstances, a country can only become a member of NATO if it is not involved in international conflicts or border disputes. Accordingly, Germany and the USA, for example, are reacting cautiously to Ukraine’s desire to join. But the country also gets support for rapid admission.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sees his country on the way to NATO despite the Russian war of aggression. In view of new military aid from the West and international support, Ukraine has had a good week for its “movement towards NATO,” Zelensky said in a video message distributed in Kiev on Saturday evening. EU country Lithuania this week recognized the need to invite Ukraine to join NATO at the military alliance’s summit in the capital Vilnius in July.

According to the Kremlin in Moscow, Zelensky’s striving for NATO is one reason for the Russian war of aggression. In autumn 2022, Zelenskyy had applied for his country’s accelerated accession to NATO. He is banking on preferential treatment for Ukraine. The federal government and the USA had expressed reservations about this.

In general, a prerequisite for joining NATO is that the candidate must not be involved in international conflicts and disputes over borders. Ukraine was invaded by Russia on February 24 and has been defending itself against the war of aggression ever since.

Lithuania advocates invitation

The Lithuanian parliament decided this week to seek an invitation for Ukraine to attend the NATO summit on July 11-12. Zelenskyj thanked the Baltic country for the support. In his video message, he particularly praised the military aid from NATO members Germany, Poland and the USA, among others, who are supplying weapons and ammunition to Ukraine.

Zelenskyj once again solicited support from countries that, unlike the West, have not clearly distanced themselves from Russia. In Ukraine today there is a fight for universal values ​​that are close to all peoples. “Everyone appreciates security and protection against terror,” said Zelenskyj. No people want what the occupiers stand for: “Russian concentration camps, the deportation of children, the rape of women and the burning of cities.” The more the world learns about it, the faster the aggressor will lose Russia. Then come peace.

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