"Historic" NATO Summit 2023 Commences in Vilnius

The main events of the first day of the NATO Summit begin in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, during which member countries will deliberate on the bloc's transformation in the face of new security threats, with a particular focus on Ukraine, are commencing in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius.

The commencement of the summit has been reported on the NATO website.

At 13:30, the NATO Secretary-General and the President of the Republic of Lithuania will officially extend their greetings to the invited heads of state and government.

Following the customary group photograph, the North Atlantic Council meeting at the level of heads of state and government, which will include Sweden, anticipated to become the 32nd NATO member, will commence.

Subsequently, a ceremony will be held to sign the Declaration on Cooperation in the Airspace Domain between Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

At 17:30, a press conference by the NATO Secretary-General is scheduled, followed by a formal dinner at the Presidential Palace in Vilnius.

The summit takes place against the backdrop of the most significant threat to the Eastern border of the Bloc since World War II, posed by Russia, and an extensive and intense debate regarding Ukraine's membership in the Alliance.

According to eyewitness accounts, Vilnius is adorned with yellow and blue colors today. Ukrainian slogans such as "Glory to Ukraine" and the number 33 can frequently be observed on billboards. In this manner, Lithuanians demonstrate their support for Ukraine's aspiration to become the 33rd member of the Alliance.

Previously, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed confidence in a positive decision regarding Ukraine's membership, stating that it would be adopted within the next few hours.

"The precise wording will be presented in a few hours as we finalize our communiqué. I have already addressed certain elements that I anticipate will be included, but the ultimate agreement will be reached by the leaders who will formulate it," Stoltenberg remarked.

Simultaneously, the Secretary-General reminded that in May, during the meetings of NATO ministers, a proposal was made to abandon the Membership Action Plan (MAP) established at the NATO Bucharest Summit. This document delineated the requirements that Ukraine needed to fulfill for membership.

"Ukraine has made significant progress since the decision was made in 2008 to take the next step, which was the MAP. Since then, Ukraine has come much closer to NATO, and the time has come to reflect this in the decisions of the Alliance," emphasized the Secretary-General.

However, until recently, it was uncertain whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would attend the summit. Previously, the Ukrainian side consistently declared its desire to imbue Ukraine-NATO relations with substantive practicality, underscoring the necessity for member countries to clearly enunciate their position on Ukraine's membership in the bloc during the Vilnius summit.

Now, according to the Secretary-General, it has been confirmed that President Zelensky will arrive in Vilnius this evening and will be in attendance at tomorrow's inaugural meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council.

For Ukraine, the summit represents a momentous political event. Last autumn, Ukraine submitted an application for accelerated membership in the Alliance. Since then, Kyiv has undertaken a campaign to garner support from NATO member countries. As a result, 22 NATO countries and Sweden have officially announced their support for Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations.