MOSCOW, 28 Jun. Ukraine must win the conflict with Russia «as a European sovereign state» in order to qualify for NATO membership, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference in Brussels.
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«The most urgent task now — to make sure that Ukraine will win as a sovereign, independent state of Europe. <…> The main focus should be in ensuring the victory of Ukraine. And this will be a precondition for any serious discussion about membership,” he said.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, speaking with Stoltenberg, promised a “surprise” for the July summit of the alliance.
» I am sure that the only guarantee of security (of Ukraine — Ed.) that really works is NATO. <…> But I do not want to spoil the surprise of the Vilnius summit in any way, «she said, to the NATO Secretary General.
Earlier, Vladimir Zelensky said that if Kiev does not receive an invitation at the next meeting of the member countries of the organization, this will demotivate the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to him, he repeatedly spoke with the leaders of European countries, US President Joe Biden, Secretary General of the alliance and asked «not to cut the ground from under the feet» of Ukraine.
On June 19, Stoltenberg said that at the summit in Vilnius and in preparation for According to him, the allies are not discussing a formal invitation to Ukraine, but are holding consultations on what decisions will bring Kiev closer to joining a military bloc.