Estonian parliament calls for 'concrete steps' on Ukraine's NATO accession at Vilnius summit

The Estonian parliament adopted a statement in support of Ukraine's NATO accession on May 17.

The statement urges NATO allies to invite Ukraine to join the alliance and formulate "concrete and unequivocal steps" needed to speed up the accession process at the July NATO summit.

"Ukraine's victory over Russia waging a war of aggression and Ukraine's subsequent accession to NATO is the only way to ensure a rules-based world order, lasting peace, and the security of European democratic countries," the parliament wrote.

The Polish Senate previously adopted a similar resolution. The senators backed Ukraine's accelerated NATO accession following the example of Sweden and Finland.

Ukraine applied for a fast-track NATO accession on Sept. 30 after Moscow claimed the annexation of four Ukrainian regions. However, until Russia's war against Ukraine ends, the country's prospects of NATO membership seem to remain low.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg emphasized in an interview on May 15 that Ukraine's victory against Russia would be the starting point to move forward with NATO membership.

The upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius this July will likely include a multi-year program concerning how the military alliance can help Ukraine "transition from Soviet-era standards, doctrines, and equipment," which will also help in its accession process, according to Stoltenberg.

NATO will not issue a formal invitation for Ukraine to join the alliance at the summit, according to official sources interviewed by the Washington Post.

Stoltenberg meets Zelensky on first visit to Kyiv since full-scale invasion

President Volodymyr Zelensky and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg held a joint press conference in Kyiv on April 20, with Zelensky saying there was “no objective barrier” to prevent Ukraine from joining the military alliance.

Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk