Vilnius, Lithuania
Reuters
NATO leaders said on Tuesday that Ukraine should be able to join the military alliance at some point in the future but they stopped short of offering Kyiv an immediate invitation, angering Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The leaders were meeting at a summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius as Ukrainian troops struggled to make significant gains in a counteroffensive against the Russian invasion forces occupying parts of the country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, his wife Olena Zelenska, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and his wife Diana Nausediene attend a ceremony during which a Ukrainian flag from the frontline of the war with Russia is delivered by activists, on the sidelines of a NATO leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 11th July, 2023. PICTURE: Reuters/Kacper Pempel
“UKRAINE WILL MAKE NATO STRONGER”, ZELENSKIY SAYS IN SUMMIT CITY
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy voiced disappointment that Ukraine was not invited to join NATO on Tuesday, telling supporters in the Lithuanian capital: “Is this too big of a wish?”
“NATO will make Ukraine safer, Ukraine will make NATO stronger,” he told the thousands of people, many waving Ukrainian flags, who gathered in central Vilnius, host to an alliance summit, as snipers stood guard on rooftops.
He thanked Lithuania for a “clear, honest and courageous position” in support of Ukrainian membership.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a ceremony during which a Ukrainian flag from the frontline of the war with Russia is delivered by activists, on the sidelines of a NATO leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 11th July, 2023. PICTURE: Reuters/Kacper Pempel
Shortly before the speech, NATO leaders agreed the alliance would extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the military alliance when “members agree and conditions are met.”
Zelenskiy said earlier in the day it would be “absurd” if NATO leaders did not offer his country a timeframe for membership.
Speaking in Ukrainian, he told the crowd: “I travelled here today with belief in a decision, with belief in partners, with belief in a strong NATO, a NATO which does not doubt, which does not lose time, and does not look at any aggressor.”
“I would wish for this belief to become a certainty – certainty in decisions that all of us deserve and which our every soldier expects, our every citizen, our every mother, our every child. And is this too big of a wish?” he asked.
During the speech, Zelenskiy said: “No-one should ever, ever look back to Moscow.”
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, who took part in the event, handed Zelenskiy a bullet-holed Ukrainian flag, which was then raised on a flagpole. The flag had flown on a Ukrainian tank during battles in Bakhmut.
It was brought to Vilnius by a group of 33 Ukrainian and Lithuanian runners in support of Ukraine as the potential 33rd NATO member. Activists asked the people of Vilnius to display 33,000 flags in their house windows to show support.
“Ukraine is buying us time with their blood, so we can prepare and give a strong retort to Russia,” Nauseda told the crowd.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks at a ceremony during which a Ukrainian flag from the frontline of the war with Russia is delivered by activists, on the sidelines of a NATO leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 11th July, 2023. PICTURE: Reuters/Kacper Pempel
Security worries are real in Lithuania, where memories of Moscow rule are fresh and a military presence is light.
Lithuania, along with its Baltic neighbours Latvia and Estonia, were the last states to become part of the Soviet Union, when they were annexed in 1940, and the first to declare independence in 1990 when the bloc collapsed.
Members of both NATO and the European Union since 2004, Lithuania is among Ukraine’s staunchest supporters in both blocs and the first in NATO to provide weapons to Ukraine weeks before the Russian invasion.
“We are in NATO ourselves, and the sense of security is incomparable [to what it would be] if we weren’t there,” said Birute Jurksiene, a Vilnius resident.
“This is what we strongly wish for the Ukrainian nation.”
Buses in Vilnius display Ukrainian flags and signs reading “Vilnius loves Ukraine.” Streets are decorated with NATO and Ukrainian flags.
“While you are waiting for this bus, Ukraine is waiting to become a NATO member” is a message on Vilnius public transport buses taking journalists to the summit.
State-owned energy company Ignitis, the largest listed company in the Baltics, topped its summit venue-facing office with large banners calling for Ukrainian membership in NATO.
“Putin, the Hague is waiting for you”, says the big sign hung from the Vilnius municipality, referring to the International Criminal Court in the Dutch city.
– ANNA PRUCHNICKA, OLENA HARMASH, ANDRIUS SYTAS and LEWIS MACDONALD, Vilnius, Lithuania/Reuters
The leaders said in a declaration: “Ukraine’s future is in NATO”. But they offered no timeline for the process.
“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 said, without specifying the conditions Ukraine needs to meet.
NATO did drop a requirement for Ukraine to fulfil what is called a Membership Action Plan, effectively removing a hurdle on Kyiv’s way into the alliance.
Even before the release of the declaration, Zelenskiy had assailed NATO leaders.
“It’s unprecedented and absurd when a timeframe is not set, neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine’s membership,” Zelenskiy said before arriving in Vilnius as a special guest.
Speaking at a rally in Vilnius on Tuesday, Zelenskiy voiced disappointment that Ukraine was not invited to join NATO.
“NATO will make Ukraine safer, Ukraine will make NATO stronger,” he told the thousands of people, many waving Ukrainian flags.
“I travelled here today with belief in a decision, with belief in partners, with belief in a strong NATO…”
“I would wish for this belief to become a certainty – certainty in decisions that all of us deserve and which our every soldier expects, our every citizen, our every mother, our every child. And is this too big of a wish?” he asked.
Significant and direct threat
The NATO stance highlighted the divisions among its 31 members over giving a date or a straightforward invitation for Ukraine to join. Kyiv has been pushing for a swift entry, bound together with security guarantees, since even before Russia unleashed its invasion in February 2022.
NATO members in eastern Europe have backed Kyiv’s call, arguing that bringing Ukraine under NATO’s security umbrella is the best way to deter Russia from attacking again.
Countries such as the United States and Germany have been more cautious, wary of any move that they fear could draw NATO into a direct conflict with Russia.
The NATO declaration said: “We reaffirm our unwavering solidarity with the government and people of Ukraine in the heroic defence of their nation, their land, and our shared values.”
In strong language towards Moscow, it said: “The Russian Federation is the most significant and direct threat to Allies’ security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area.”
Asked about Zelenskiy’s criticism, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told a press conference: “There has never been a stronger message from NATO at any time, both when it comes to the political message of the path forward for membership and the concrete support from NATO allies.”
He said previous accessions to NATO had not been accompanied by a timeline. “They are conditions-based, have always been,” he said.
Long range missiles
Zelenskiy did score wins elsewhere. French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris would start supplying long-range cruise missiles, following a similar announcement by Britain.
These will allow Ukrainian forces to hit Russian troops and supplies deep behind the front lines.
Germany announced new aid worth €700 million, including two Patriot air defence missile launchers, and more tanks and fighting vehicles.
The summit was also buoyed by the prospect of Sweden joining NATO as its newest member after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Monday abruptly dropped his objections to the move, while pushing to revive talks for Turkey to join the European Union.
Moscow, which has cited NATO’s eastern expansion as a factor in its decision to invade Ukraine, has criticised the two-day summit ending on Wednesday and warned Europe would be the first to face “catastrophic consequences” should the war escalate.
“Potentially, this issue [of Ukraine joining NATO] is very dangerous for European security…and therefore those who will make the decision must be aware of this,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
European leaders did not seem to understand that moving NATO military infrastructure towards Russia’s borders was a mistake, he said.
– With STEVE HOLLAND, JUSTYNA PAWLAK, ANDRIUS SYTAS, KRISZTINA THAN, NIKLAS POLLARD, JASON HOVET, JANIS LAIZANS, ANNA PRUCHNICKA, and OLENA HARMASH.
