Kyiv believes that NATO could invite Ukraine to join even during the war and complete the process when circumstances permit. 

Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Olha Stefanishyna, said in an interview with European Pravda that a political decision on inviting Ukraine to join is possible and should be made at the summit in Vilnius. 

"There are no restrictions in the Alliance rules that prevent this. We want all NATO leaders, 31 countries, to confirm that Ukraine is invited to the Alliance and to confirm that the newly formed Ukraine-NATO Council should determine the path to membership. 

Membership is a process that must be completed when certain security conditions are met. What exactly – whether it is about the end of the war or about something else – needs to be determined; here, the Alliance has an individual approach. But we can start this process, that is, invite Ukraine to become a member, right now," the Deputy Prime Minister noted. 

She spoke about Ukraine's arguments in favour of having the invitation approved in Vilnius. 

"The beginning of a counteroffensive is taking place right now, and sooner or later, the defences built by the Russians will be breached. It is important for us that in this most difficult period, Ukrainians and the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine hear a powerful signal from our allies. 

It is also important that the current situation in Russia (after Prigozhin's rebellion. – EP) is clear: we have seen that its internal stability can be completely undermined in less than a day. Because of this, right now, Russia has very limited space for new dramatic movements because the Kremlin understands that this can provoke new pockets of destabilisation. This emphasises that there is an opportunity to act now," Stefanishyna said. 

The Deputy Prime Minister added that the entire Eastern flank of NATO, as well as a number of Western European countries, are now in favour of inviting Ukraine to join.