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Lithuanian President: Ukraine likely to receive a lot but not all it expects at NATO summit

• 1 min read
Lithuanian President: Ukraine likely to receive a lot but not all it expects at NATO summit
Polish President Andrzej Duda (left), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (center), and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda during the European leaders' visit to Kyiv on June 28, 2023. (Source: President Zelensky's Office)

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda told LRT on July 5 that, while it will likely not get everything it's hoping for, Ukraine will not be disappointed at the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius in July.

"I have a feeling that we will find wording that will not disappoint Ukrainians and will state more than we are used to saying," Nausėda said.

He added that he can not say whether Ukraine will receive an invitation to join NATO after the war in one form or another as discussions on the subject are ongoing.

"There are definitely not one, not two, not even four countries that would like a broader statement, and right now, there is a dialogue between such countries and more cautious countries, and I hope it will end in a mutually acceptable way," the president said.

Lithuania's head of state also said that individual states will present their own aid packages for Ukraine at the summit.

Ukraine applied to join NATO in September 2022. While acknowledging the country cannot enter the Alliance before the end of the war, Ukrainian leadership has repeatedly called for a "clear signal" on the membership from the Allies during the upcoming summit on July 11-12.

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Martin Fornusek

Assistant Editor

Martin Fornusek is an assistant editor at the Kyiv Independent. Until recently, Martin held the role of foreign affairs reporter specializing in international and regional politics, history, and disinformation. Based in Lviv, Martin often reports on international politics, focusing on developments related to Ukraine and Russia. His career in journalism began in 2021 after graduating from Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, earning a Master's degree in Conflict and Democracy Studies. Martin has been invited to speak on Times Radio, France 24, Czech Television, and Radio Free Europe. He speaks English, Czech, and Ukrainian.

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