NATO Countries in Vilnius Promise to Increase Military Assistance to Ukraine – Jens Stoltenberg

, 13 June 2023, 13:20

At the July NATO summit in Vilnius, the Alliance's member countries will promise to increase military assistance to Ukraine and commit to helping it in the long term.

"So, first and foremost, the most important thing that will happen at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July is that NATO allies will express strong support to Ukraine, not only words, but also in deeds, because I'm absolutely certain that our NATO allies will make new announcements of significant military support to Ukraine and to promise to sustain and step that up," Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, said in an interview with the TV channel PBS.

According to the NATO Secretary General in Vilnius, the alliance members will support Ukraine for as long as necessary.

Speaking about the possibility of Ukraine's membership in NATO, Stoltenberg noted that consultations are continuing among the allies.

"It's too early to preempt the concrete outcome, but allies agree on a lot. We agree that NATO's door is open, as we have demonstrated with Finland and Sweden for new members," he added.

At the same time, as the NATO Secretary General stressed, "it's not possible to give precise dates when we are in the midst of a war".

"Unless Ukraine prevails, then there's no membership to be discussed at all, because it's only a sovereign, independent, democratic Ukraine that can become a NATO member," he added.

He said that a multi-year plan has also been agreed on to ensure the transition of the Ukrainian army from Soviet doctrines to modern NATO standards and to ensure its full operational compatibility with NATO, which will bring membership closer.

As reported, Ukraine seeks to become a member of the North Atlantic alliance shortly after achieving a military victory over Russia and aims to get a guarantee of this at the NATO summit in Vilnius.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he understands the impossibility of Ukraine joining NATO during the war, but he sees no point in participating in the NATO summit in Vilnius if, as a result, Ukraine does not receive specific signals about when it can join the Alliance.