NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stopped by unexpectedly in Kyiv and assured the defense alliance’s support for Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi urges NATO to accept Ukraine as a member.
– Ukraine’s place is rightfully in the Euro-Atlantic family. Ukraine’s place is in NATO.
This is what the NATO Secretary General of the defense alliance thinks Jens Stoltenberg in Kiev. He held a press conference for his surprise visit to the President of Ukraine to Volodymyr Zelensky alongside.
Stoltenberg is now in Ukraine for the first time since Russia attacked there a little over a year ago.
Stoltenberg reiterated his view that NATO will support and help Ukraine on the way to NATO membership.
Ukraine’s membership path will be discussed at the summit of the defense union in Vilnius in July. Ukrainian President Zelenskyi will participate in the meeting.
Zelenskyi urges NATO to decide
– I believe that the meeting in Vilnius will be historic. I am grateful for the invitation I received there, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said.
He also reminded that his invitation is important for all of Ukraine.
Zelenskyi urged NATO to make a political decision on Ukraine’s membership.
– There is no real obstacle for NATO to make a political decision, because most NATO countries and the majority of Ukrainians support Ukraine’s NATO membership.
Zelenskyi has hoped for a kind of fast track to membership of the defense alliance from NATO.
On Friday, an auxiliary meeting at Rammstein
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is stopping by in Kiev just before tomorrow’s meeting in Rammstein, Germany, where Ukraine’s allies are considering military support for Ukraine in the war against Russia.
Stoltenberg reminded that Ukraine urgently needs ammunition and other military equipment.
Denmark and the Netherlands announced today that they will donate 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
Yesterday, the United States decided on a new aid package of more than 300 million dollars. The delivery includes, among other things, Himars ammunition, missiles and anti-tank mines.
Sources: Reuters, AFP