Ukraine may join NATO in summer 2024 - Defense Minister Reznikov

This was reported by CNN.

"Who knows, maybe it will be very important day for Ukraine," Reznikov said.

He also emphasized that this is only his forecast.

It is noted that when he was asked if he thought the war would end next summer, he quickly answered: "Yes. We will win this war." 

Also, according to CNN, Reznikov downplayed the Biden administration's refusal to accept Ukraine immediately after the war ended.

"I think it's not necessary”. Ukraine will have a simplified accession process, and in the meantime, it will continue to work on the necessary reforms, Reznikov added.

The defense minister emphasized that the advantages of Ukraine's accession to NATO have only increased due to the fight against Russia.

"After the victory, after then, it will be in the interest of NATO because we became a real eastern shield of NATO or eastern shield of Europe," he said. Ukraine has gained “real combat experience — how to deter Russians, to defeat them, to beat them with using NATO standard weaponry," the minister said. 

According to NATO's official website, the next summit of the alliance, dedicated to the 75th anniversary of its creation, will be held on July 9-11, 2024, in Washington.

Vilnius summit and Ukraine’s NATO accession 

The NATO summit took place in Vilnius on July 11-12. The meetings were attended by leaders and government officials from various countries. Lithuania hosted the summit for the first time at the LITEXPO congress center. Security was ensured by thousands of military personnel, and the airspace was protected by air defense systems.

Leaders from 31 NATO countries, including US President Joe Biden, participated in the meetings. Delegations from Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Ukraine, and Sweden were also invited. Over 2,400 members from 48 foreign delegations, including heads of state and government officials, were expected to attend. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was also present.

During the summit on July 11, a decision was made regarding Ukraine. The Membership Action Plan stage was canceled, and Ukraine will receive an invitation to join the Alliance once it fulfills the entry requirements and gains the agreement of all NATO allies.

President Zelenskyy expressed his dissatisfaction with the conditions attached to Ukraine's invitation, stating that it seemed like a lack of readiness to invite Ukraine to NATO.

The Alliance agreed on a final communiqué concerning Ukraine, reaffirming the commitment made in 2008 that Ukraine would become a NATO member. The document acknowledged that Ukraine's path to Euro-Atlantic integration has exceeded the requirements of the Membership Action Plan. The member countries recognized Ukraine's progress in operational and political integration with NATO, as well as its significant reform efforts. Progress will be regularly assessed through the Annual National Programme.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, responded to the summit's decision by emphasizing that NATO should not delay Ukraine's accession to the military-political bloc. He also noted that the specific conditions for joining and who should formulate them were not yet known.

President Zelenskyy commented on the summit's results, expressing that if Ukraine receives an invitation to join NATO, it would be an ideal outcome.

On July 12, the G7 countries reached a joint declaration specifying security guarantees for Ukraine. Countries willing to join the agreement will have the opportunity to do so.

Subsequently, President Zelenskyy, who initially criticized the summit's decision, acknowledged that any doubts and ambiguities regarding Ukraine's NATO membership were now removed. He stated that Russia would no longer have a barrier blocking NATO's door.

For more information about the NATO summit, you can follow the link.