Breaking news: While the diploma traffic continues on the second day of the NATO Leaders’ Summit; President of Ukraine Zelenski and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg made statements at a joint press conference.
“CLOSE THAN EVER”
In his statement yesterday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who gave the green light for Ukraine’s membership to NATO, said in his new statement that “Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before”.
Stoltenberg continued his words as follows;
“Ukraine will be invited to join NATO when our allies agree that the conditions are met. This gives a very clear message about Ukraine’s path to NATO membership. When this war is over, a reliable security environment must be established for Ukraine. Because we must prevent history from repeating itself. Therefore, I am happy to announce that many of our allies have agreed to provide long-term security support. All these steps will protect Ukraine against possible Russian aggression after the war is over. Of course, it will also strengthen NATO’s support so far.
The decisions taken in Vilnius open a new page in the relationship between NATO and Ukraine. Today we meet on equal status, and I look forward to the day when we can come together as allies.
“MOSCOW CANNOT BE A SAVINGS”
Moscow can’t have any savings on who will be a NATO member or not. Russia is already against any enlargement of NATO. If NATO allies and Ukraine agree on Ukraine’s membership, Moscow has nothing to say here. Now we are bringing Ukraine closer to membership. With the decision we took today, we are giving a very strong and united message in solidarity. And we know that Moscow will already protest this. But Ukraine always has the right to choose its own path. Moscow is not going to decide that.”
Making a brief statement after Stoltenberg, President of Ukraine Zelenski said, “We are continuing our reforms for NATO membership as well as for EU membership. We can say that the results of the summit were good, but it would be better if we received an invitation. We are aware that we will not be able to join NATO as long as the war continues and We welcome that,” he said.
ZELENSKI: “WE CONTINUE OUR REFORMS FOR NATO MEMBERSHIP”
REACTION FROM RUSSIA
Kremlin spokesman Peskov said today that NATO’s guarantee of security to Ukraine was wrong, “potentially very dangerous” and would violate Russia’s own security.
SIT BETWEEN ERDOĞAN AND SUNAK
On the other hand, according to AA; The NATO-Ukraine Council, which was established to take the relations between NATO and Ukraine to the next level, convened for the first time in its history. The first meeting of the Council was held at the level of heads of state and government at the NATO Summit held in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.
President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan represented the meeting, along with the leaders of 31 NATO countries, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Zelenskiy, who was greeted with applause by NATO leaders, sat between President Erdogan and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in the seating arrangement prepared according to the names of the countries.