Lithuania’s president urges allies to offer Ukraine simplified NATO accession 

According to Nausėda, boldness in formulating prospects for NATO membership will increase Ukraine's effectiveness on the battlefield, while Russia will perceive caution as a sign of weakness, Reuters reports.

"We should not hesitate to take bolder decisions because otherwise the Putin regime will decide that the Western allies are too weak, (that they should be) pushed to the corner and they will surrender," Nausėda said.

The Lithuanian president noted that at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Ukraine may be offered the promise of an easier path to membership in the Alliance after the war, as there are "some countries which are cautious about the stronger wording on Ukraine's perspective. But I already see some shift in the minds of their leaders."

"We all understand that right now, in the midst of the war, Ukraine is not able to join NATO immediately. We understand that. Ukrainians understand that. But we need to create procedures, how to proceed ... so there is no wasting of time if the war is over and victory is on Ukrainian side"

He also added that he expects Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to attend the summit: "I hope he will be here and he will play an important role in the decision making in Vilnius"

In addition, according to Nauseda, several countries are preparing an additional military support package for Ukraine, which will be announced at the NATO summit.

What we know about Ukraine's path to NATO

On 11-12 July, the NATO summit will take place in Vilnius. At the summit, Ukraine expects concrete decisions on its path to joining the Alliance. On May 23, Ukraine's ambassador to NATO, Natalia Galibarenko, mentioned that Ukraine is preparing two cooperation packages (political and practical), which will be presented for discussion during the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius. 

On May 30, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba outlined three key points that define Ukraine's vision for a successful outcome at the NATO summit in Vilnius. "Strengthen Ukraine-NATO institutional ties and assistance. Take a step toward UA membership. Provide security guarantees on Ukraine’s path to NATO." 

On June 10, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister, Volodymyr Havrylov, expressed his belief that the July NATO summit in Vilnius  will set the algorithm for Ukraine's accession to the Alliance.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that Ukraine will become a NATO member in the future, but due to the ongoing war, specific dates for accession cannot be determined. However, he is confident that during the Vilnius summit, the member countries will work towards finding a solution regarding Ukraine's progress.

On June 15, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for Ukraine's membership in NATO with 425 votes in favor. 

On June 16, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on NATO chief Stoltenberg to drop the Membership Action Plan (MAP) if Ukraine joins NATO.

US President Joe Biden expressed support for removing the MAP stage, making the joining process simpler for Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized Ukraine's role in Europe's defense and called on allies to invite the country to NATO.

James Cleverly, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in the UK, assured support for Ukraine's simplified entry into NATO.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine has valid reasons to receive a political invitation to NATO at the Vilnius summit.

On June 28, during a speech in parliament on Constitution Day, President Zelenskyy proposed 5 points of the Ukrainian Doctrine, which stipulates that Ukraine's future lies in the EU and NATO, for discussion.

On June 30, US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said that NATO member states are close to a consensus on Ukraine's accession to NATO without the MAP.