At a press conference following talks with the Prime Minister of Croatia, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine’s position could be strengthened only by an invitation to NATO.
At the same time, Kyiv understands that it is better to be a full member of the bloc, but at this stage an invitation would be enough.
An invitation to the alliance is not NATO membership. Yes, it is better to be a NATO member. But we are talking about strengthening our position now, not after the conflict, not in ten years, not in thirty, TASS quotes Zelensky as saying.
In his address, the political leader of Ukraine asks allies for an invitation to join the North Atlantic Alliance.
The formality does not imply full membership in NATO.
But this step will make Ukraine strong “in the political direction, during certain diplomatic movements, during certain future negotiations,” Zelensky is convinced.
The statement shows that Kyiv is understanding of skeptical states.
And that is precisely why he speaks about an invitation and a real response, and not diplomatic assessments from opponents of Ukraine’s membership in NATO.
Let us recall that Zelensky’s statements regarding the lack of a decision on the timing of Kyiv’s invitation to NATO, made in July 2023 at the summit in Vilnius, caused outrage among US representatives and other leaders of the countries participating in the military bloc.
