NATO's summit in Vilnius this month will not see Ukraine being invited to Alliance – Portnikov

He expressed this opinion on Espreso.

“I don't expect anything significant to come out of the NATO summit in Vilnius. It's clear that this event won't lead to Ukraine being invited to join the Alliance. Nobody who supports Ukraine's integration with NATO has been insisting on that either. The summit in Vilnius is mainly focused on working out the details of Ukraine's integration with NATO. It involves identifying the necessary steps that both Ukraine and NATO countries should take to make this invitation possible. These steps can be of various types, not just military but also political. They aim to address the key factors that would make Ukraine's accession to the Alliance a reality. I believe that these details will be developed and possibly presented during the Ukraine-NATO Council,” he said.

Vitaly Portnikov mentioned that at the NATO summit in Washington, there might be discussions about inviting Ukraine to join the North Atlantic Alliance.

“The question is whether Ukraine can become a NATO member during a war, and whether an invitation can be extended under such circumstances. It's possible that a consensus could be reached on this matter. Another important topic is whether Ukraine can receive security guarantees until it becomes a member of NATO. These discussions could lead to some form of consensus and cooperation between the parties involved. Considering Ukraine's ongoing conflict with Russia, finding answers to these issues will be a significant part of the discussions at the Vilnius summit,” he added.

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. 

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

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

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.

On July 4, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda called on NATO allies to offer Ukraine a simplified accession to the Alliance at the Vilnius summit to increase Ukrainians' effectiveness on the battlefield.