NATO leaders agreed in Vilnius that Ukraine’s future lies within the alliance but stopped short of providing an invitation or timeframe for accession.
“Ukraine’s future is in NATO,” the leaders said in a declaration on Tuesday, adding that Kyiv’s Euro-Atlantic integration has progressed beyond the need for a Membership Action Plan.
NATO Leaders Discuss Ukraine War, Membership
In his opening remarks, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg pledged to increase practical and political support for Ukraine to bring it closer to the alliance. During the Summit, NATO nations agreed to set up a long-term military support programme for Ukraine.
Additionally, NATO leaders established the Ukraine-NATO Council, “a new joint body where Allies and Ukraine sit as equal members to advance political dialogue, engagement, cooperation, and Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations for membership in NATO.”
The declaration stated, “It will provide for joint consultations, decision-making, and activities, and also serve as a crisis consultation mechanism between NATO and Ukraine.”
The leaders agreed in the declaration that NATO’s priority remains the delivery of crucial non-lethal aid to Ukraine through the Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP), and decided to expand the CAP into a multi-year plan for Ukraine.
NATO will assist Ukraine in transitioning from Soviet-era to NATO equipment and standards, developing its security and defence sector, and covering its critical needs, such as fuel, demining equipment, and medical supplies, as part of the package.
⚡️Ukraine not to receive membership invitation at NATO summit, promise to invite later instead.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) July 11, 2023
NATO member states will not offer Ukraine a membership invitation at the alliance's summit in Vilnius, which began on July 11, Interfax Ukraine reported. pic.twitter.com/dbBtlFu40u
NATO member states support Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s “peace formula” for resolving the conflict with Russia, the alliance stated. “We welcome and support President Zelensky’s commitment in setting out the principles for such a peace through his Peace Formula,” the document read.
“We will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the alliance when allies agree and conditions are met,” the declaration further affirmed without providing further details.
Stoltenberg told the reporters on Tuesday, “[We] agreed to remove the requirement for a Membership Action Plan. This will change Ukraine’s membership path from a two-step process to a one-step process.”
The Membership Action Plan is a set of economic, defence, and security reforms that other newly admitted nations must implement before joining NATO.
Zelensky’s Response
In a tweet, Zelensky slammed NATO members’ unwillingness to grant Ukraine a time frame for membership as “unprecedented and absurd.”
“Ukraine will be represented at the NATO summit in Vilnius. Because it is about respect [...] Ukraine also deserves respect,” the Ukrainian President wrote before going on to explain how, on the way to the Summit, his delegation had received signals about “certain wording” being discussed without Ukraine.
Zelensky questioned NATO members’ intentions on Ukraine’s membership, saying, “It seems there is no readiness neither to invite Ukraine to NATO nor to make it a member of the Alliance.” He added, “Uncertainty is weakness. And I will openly discuss this at the summit.”
Speaking before thousands in Vilnius, Zelensky said he was attending this summit to seek “total assurance” from NATO members of the decision that Ukraine “deserves,” as he continued to pressure the alliance to clarify when his country can join its ranks.
“NATO will give Ukraine security. Ukraine will make NATO stronger,” he asserted.
We value our allies. We value our shared security. And we always appreciate an open conversation.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 11, 2023
Ukraine will be represented at the NATO summit in Vilnius. Because it is about respect.
But Ukraine also deserves respect. Now, on the way to Vilnius, we received signals that…
NATO Leaders Condemn Russia’s Actions
“We continue to condemn in the strongest terms Russia’s blatant violations of international law, the Charter of the United Nations, and OSCE commitments and principles,” the declaration read.
During the summit, NATO leaders held Russia responsible “for its illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine, which has gravely undermined Euro-Atlantic and global security and for which it must be held fully accountable.”
They emphasised that Russia’s “war of aggression” significantly impacts the “environment, nuclear safety, energy and food security, the global economy, and the welfare of billions of people” worldwide.
Further, NATO members acknowledged Russia’s multi-domain military buildup and presence in the Baltic, Black, and Mediterranean Sea regions and its strong military capabilities in the Arctic. “Russia’s more assertive stance, innovative military capabilities, and provocative operations, notably near NATO borders, as well as its large-scale no-notice and snap drills, continue to threaten Euro-Atlantic security,” they noted.
In the declaration, NATO leaders agreed that “Russia must immediately stop this illegal war of aggression, cease its use of force against Ukraine, and completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its forces and equipment from the territory of Ukraine.”