Ukraine Deserves a Clear Invitation to NATO - Lithuanian Foreign Minister

The head of the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gabrielius Landsbergis, believes that Ukraine's invitation to join the North Atlantic Alliance should be clear and cannot be withdrawn.  

The official said this after a meeting with Lithuanian officials at the Presidential Palace, LRT reports.

Landsbergis stressed that Lithuania's position on Ukraine's accession to NATO has been and will remain unchanged in the future.

"Our position remains unchanged. We fully support the aspirations of Ukraine, we support them and their position to make a commitment in such a way that the invitation is clear and cannot be withdrawn," said Gabrielius Landsbergis.

The Ukrainian side has repeatedly stated its unwavering intention to join the North Atlantic Alliance.

At the same time, Ukraine's leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has stressed that he understands the position of some NATO countries that insist that Ukraine cannot join the Alliance while the Russian war continues.

Instead, at the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius, Ukraine expects its partners to present a clear and understandable action plan for joining the Alliance.

According to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, 21 joint statements have been signed with NATO member states to support Ukraine in its aspirations to join the Alliance.

At the same time, Ukraine wants to receive clear security guarantees that could ensure its long-term support from Western partners until the end of the Russian war in Ukraine.

European leaders have already offered such guarantees during the EU summit in Brussels. In a document published after the meeting, EU member states agreed to support future security commitments to Ukraine.

"The European Union and its member states stand ready to support future security commitments to Ukraine that will help Ukraine defend itself in the long term, deter acts of aggression and counter destabilisation efforts," the statement said.

The NATO summit will be held on 11-12 July in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. It is planned that member states will discuss new security challenges related to the war waged by Russia and further steps to support Ukraine, providing it with military, financial and humanitarian assistance.