President Volodymyr Zelensky urged NATO to take concrete steps toward Ukraine's membership in the alliance at the July summit, saying that the "open door" rhetoric is not enough.
Zelensky made the statement during a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda in Lviv on Jan. 11.
Ukraine requested fast-track membership in NATO in September, but the process hasn't moved further since then.
"For today, just support for Ukraine from colleagues in NATO and support in the form of rhetoric about open doors is not enough for Ukraine," Zelensky said.
"The decision of NATO member states on the launch of the mechanism of accelerated integration of Ukraine into the alliance — as was the case with Sweden and Finland — would be the most efficient and consistent with the reality and our defense potential," Zelensky added.
On the same day, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance should step up its support for Ukraine amid fierce fighting for Bakhmut and Soledar in Donetsk Oblast. He also welcomed recent support by the U.S., France, and Germany, which will soon deliver infantry fighting vehicles and light tanks to Ukraine.
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