NATO without Ukraine is not NATO: Zelenskyy explains why Ukraine's experience will be important for Alliance

He said this during an interview with representatives of the Spanish media.

“I believe that NATO is not NATO without Ukraine. We are at war, we are powerful, and we have shown it to the world. We have practice and a powerful army with a lot of experience. There are no armies on the European continent with the experience of Ukraine. On the one hand, this means that European countries have not had wars, fortunately. But on the other hand, I believe that an alliance with such potential, with so many countries, cannot exist without Ukraine. After all, this experience should be shared,” Zelenskyy said.

The president cited Ukraine's experience as professional military, training missions, military education, and the use of NATO-style weapons by our specialists, which have been evaluated for their quality by practical use in the Armed Forces.

“Our conclusions after the war will be very useful for all Alliance partners, for example, how to protect cities from Russian missiles. No one has our experience. Another example: many NATO member states have small armies, but we, with our large army, can help them and deploy forces on their borders to protect them. Without Ukraine, NATO is not a modern security alliance,” Zelenskyy summarized.

The country's leader also noted that Ukraine is confident in the effectiveness of NATO and wants to join the Alliance.

“It is important when the society itself wants to be in the Alliance. There are countries that are not sure whether they belong to NATO, but we are 100% in,” he stated.

Ukraine's path to NATO membership:

Ukraine hopes to receive clear decisions on joining the Alliance in July during the NATO meeting in Vilnius. 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.