Zelenskyy accepts invitation to NATO Summit in Vilnius – NATO Secretary General

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accepted an invitation to participate in the NATO Summit in Vilnius this July, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has reported. 

Source: Stoltenberg at a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in Ramstein on 21 April, as reported by European Pravda

Quote: "President Zelenskyy and I also discussed the preparations for the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius in July. I have invited him to attend the meeting and I’m glad that he has accepted the invitation and will attend the NATO Summit in Vilnius," Stoltenberg said. 

The NATO Secretary General also commented on the remarks made by journalists that Ukraine has put forward concrete steps regarding its membership as a condition for Zelenskyy's participation in the summit.

"I said in Kyiv yesterday that Ukraine's future is in the Euro-Atlantic family, and all NATO allies have agreed that Ukraine will become a NATO member. But the main focus now is, of course, on how to ensure that Ukraine prevails [in the war – ed.]. What we do know is that our support helps Ukraine move towards Euro-Atlantic integration, and our support helps them to make this possible, " the Secretary General added.

On the eve of a joint briefing with Stoltenberg, Zelenskyy thanked him for the invitation to visit Vilnius, but said that it was important that Ukraine received an appropriate invitation as well.

Zelenskyy said that Kyiv expected the NATO summit in Vilnius to adopt a package of security guarantees for Ukraine on the way to membership of the Alliance.

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