The Power Within: The Kyiv Independent’s first-ever magazine. Be among the first to get it.

pre-order now
Skip to content
Edit post

Stoltenberg: NATO invite for Ukraine not to be discussed at Vilnius summit

by Martin Fornusek June 16, 2023 7:42 PM 1 min read
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a press conference at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on April 3, 2023. (Photo by Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that an invitation for Ukraine to NATO will not be a topic of the upcoming Vilnius summit in July, in comments at a press conference in Brussels on June 16.

The members will instead consider ways of bringing Ukraine closer to the Alliance, he said at a press conference after the NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels.

This will include practical steps, such as bringing Ukraine's military up to NATO standards. It will also encompass setting up a new political consultative body, the NATO-Ukraine Council.

Stoltenberg added that the Allies agree Ukraine will eventually become a NATO member.

Earlier today, Germany's Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that NATO allies may be ready to remove some hurdles on Ukraine's path to membership.

Ukraine applied for NATO membership in September 2022, half a year into the full-scale Russian invasion.

According to the Washington Post, there is so far no consensus on Ukraine's NATO membership. While the Baltic nations and the Czech Republic want to speed up Ukraine's accession, big players like France, Germany, and the U.S. are hesitant.

Media: Biden allegedly supports simplified procedure for Ukraine’s NATO accession
U.S. President Joe Biden has supported a proposal by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to announce that Ukraine does not need to implement a “membership action plan” (MAP) to join NATO, Axios reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.

News Feed

5:30 AM

Trump says he may meet Putin 'shortly' after May Middle East visit.

Despite ongoing ceasefire negotiations, Trump and Putin have yet to have direct contact, communicating only through their officials. Trump's last in-person encounter with his Russian counterpart was during the 2018 Helsinki Summit during the U.S. president's first term.
8:08 PM

Ukrainians react to US proposal of recognizing Crimea as Russian.

The U.S. media outlet Axios reported on April 23 that the U.S. President Donald Trump administration's final proposal for ending the Russia-Ukraine war included the U.S. de jure recognizing Russia's annexation of Crimea and de facto recognizing its control of other occupied Ukrainian territories. We asked Kyiv residents for their reactions to the U.S. proposal.
7:21 PM  (Updated: )

Trump says 'nobody is asking' Ukraine to recognize Crimea as Russian.

"Nobody is asking (President Volodymyr) Zelensky to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory, but if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?" U.S. President Donald Trump wrote.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.