On 14 June 2023, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, discussed the preparations for the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, with Germany’s Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, Yevropeiska Pravda reported.
Dmytro Kuleba thanked his German counterpart for her support. He expressed hope that a decisive step towards Ukraine’s membership in NATO would be made during the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius, scheduled for 11-12 July 2023.
“Ukraine’s position is clear: creating the NATO-Ukraine Council without taking a strong step toward membership is like providing a tank without a gun. NATO needs Ukraine as an Ally, not just a privileged partner,” Kuleba wrote on Twitter following his conversation with Baerbock.
Ahead of NATO Summit in July, Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz said an “intensive dialogue” to prepare for Ukraine’s admission was ongoing during the meeting of the Weimar Triangle countries, which took place on 12 June in Paris. The Weimar Triangle (Committee for the Development of German-French-Polish Cooperation) is a consultative forum of Germany, Poland, and France.
“NATO must offer Ukraine clear membership algorithm by end of 2023,” Ukraine Defense Minister says
During the meeting of the leaders of Poland, France, and Germany on 12 June, Polish President Andrzej Duda called for Ukraine’s admission into NATO. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed a preference to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine ahead of the alliance’s summit in July.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is invited to the NATO summit in Vilnius and plans to visit it in person.
Record-high 86% of Ukrainians support country’s accession to NATO, poll shows
Public support for Ukraine’s accession to NATO among Ukrainians hit a record-high level in January 2023. The absolute majority of Ukrainian citizens (86%) would support this initiative in a referendum, according to the 12th National Poll by the Ukrainian pollster Sociological Group Rating carried out on 14-16 January 2023. Only 3% of respondents would vote against NATO accession, and 8% would not vote.
Related:
- Poland calls for Ukraine’s admission into NATO, France and Germany are cautious
- “Ukraine can anticipate a very robust package” of support at NATO Summit – Blinken
- Ukraine must win war to join NATO, Stoltenberg says
- Macron calls for ‘tangible’ NATO security guarantees for Ukraine
- Unresolved territorial issues should not prevent Ukraine from joining NATO – NYT
- Polish Senate calls for Ukraine’s rapid accession to NATO through extraordinary procedure
