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KYIV — Ukraine will be in focus at next month’s NATO summit in Washington. And Kyiv has a lot of expectations.
“Ukraine awaits decisions that will help significantly strengthen the country’s defense and the ability to repel Russian aggression, as well as become a safeguard against repeated attacks in the future,” Olga Stefanishyna, Ukrainian deputy prime minister on EU and Euro-Atlantic integration, told POLITICO late Thursday.
“We also expect specific decisions regarding Ukraine’s membership in NATO, in a package with other guarantees of continuity of military aid and increased interoperability,” Stefanishyna said.
NATO’s 32 members will gather on July 9-11 in Washington to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the alliance. The summit will focus mostly on building defense production and meeting defense budget targets in the face of threats from Russia. But aid to Ukraine will also be a priority, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to join the gathering.
Kyiv plans to use the opportunity to push for concrete, practical initiatives that would ensure reliable anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense systems throughout Ukraine, Stefanishyna said.
“A sufficient number of Patriot systems will help ensure the security of peaceful cities and critical infrastructure, which is a key element of our survival in the coming winter,” she said.
Julianne Smith, U.S. permanent representative to NATO, said the alliance allies at the July meeting will put forward “a whole package of deliverables that will serve as a bridge” to Ukraine’s future membership in NATO.
“Part of the package will be the language we use to describe Ukraine’s membership aspirations,” Smith said. “Part of it will be working to identify new resources for our friends in Ukraine and ensuring that we send a signal to Moscow that the NATO alliance isn’t going anywhere.”
Stefanishyna said Kyiv does not expect an official invitation to join NATO to come at the July summit. “This issue will remain on the agenda until it is resolved,” she said, putting no deadline on the timing.
President Zelenskyy pushed for a “signal” on Ukraine’s membership hopes at last summer’s NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. But alliance members told Kyiv to keep waiting until the country meets all the necessary conditions.
Ukraine wanted a political decision at least, so it was rather disappointed. However, Zelenskyy toned down his criticism and thanked NATO for its increased military support, including F-16 training, which is continuing. Ukraine also got a powerful instrument — the NATO-Ukraine Council, established in Vilnius, deepening Ukraine’s cooperation with the NATO allies as “an equal partner.”
The G7 Joint Support Declaration, also signed during the Vilnius summit, allowed Ukraine to create and sign 15 individual long-term security agreements with different countries — the new security architecture Ukraine believes will help it to keep getting military support to stand against Russia until it eventually joins the alliance.
