Сanada supports Ukraine becoming NATO member ‘as soon as conditions allow’

The joint statement of President Volodymyr Zelensky and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, published on June 10, says that Canada supports Ukraine in becoming a NATO member "as soon as the conditions allow for it."

"Within NATO, Canada emphasizes that Ukraine has the right to choose its own security measures," reads the statement.

"Canada fully supports the NATO-Ukraine Council as a venue to further increase and expand ongoing cooperation to help fulfil Ukraine’s path towards the Euro-Atlantic family, consistent with the Bucharest Declaration."

Earlier in the day, Deputy Defense Minister Volodymyr Havrylov said NATO members will agree on a "certain procedure" for Ukraine's potential accession into the 31-nation alliance at the July summit in Vilnius.

In the Defense Ministry's Telegram post, Havrylov said, "There are all signs that Ukraine will get what it wants in a certain format," without elaborating further.

Zelensky and Trudeau's statement also says Ukraine and Canada look forward to addressing the issue of Ukraine's NATO membership at the upcoming NATO summit.

"Today, in our joint declaration with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, we have recorded Canada's support for Ukraine's membership in NATO," Zelensky wrote on Telegram.  

"I am sure together we will do everything so that the Alliance summit in Vilnius is really consistent with the requirements of the time and is positive for everyone, positive for Ukraine, and for our membership perspective," he wrote.

The announcement follows Trudeau's surprise visit to Kyiv earlier in the day.

During his visit to Kyiv, Trudeau reportedly announced $500 million in new military aid for Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Suspilne media outlet.

The media says Canada would provide Ukraine with 287 additional air defense missiles and 10,000 of projectiles.

Also, Trudeau said Canada will transfer the seized Russian Antonov An-124 aircraft to Ukraine, and impose further sanctions against Russia.

"Canada is among those in the world who most actively support the need for security certainty for Ukraine and our entire Euro-Atlantic community," Zelensky wrote on Telegram.

Ukraine has long sought NATO membership and officially applied for it half a year into the full-scale Russian war in September.

After months of discussions and disagreements, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in April that all members have agreed that Ukraine will eventually join the alliance when the war is over.

June 10 marks Trudeau’s second visit to Ukraine during Russia's full-scale war. He last visited Kyiv in May 2022, where he met President Volodymyr Zelensky and reopened the Canadian Embassy in Ukraine amid war.