Ukraine will be in NATO after victory and Alliance will do its best to get victory closer – Piontkovsky

He shared his opinion with the Espreso TV channel. 

"There was a certain irritation that was felt on the first day in the entire Ukrainian audience, caused by not very delicate attempts by the West, especially the Americans, to explain their unwillingness to accept Ukraine into NATO. They are not ready to accept Ukraine into NATO today. This means Article 5, Americans and Germans have to go to Ukraine, soldiers have to fight and die alongside Ukrainian soldiers - they are not ready for this. And we understand that they are not ready, and we proceed from this reality. They can compensate for this lack of readiness by supplying the weapons necessary for victory," Piontkovsky said.

The political scientist emphasized the importance of Ukraine in the European security system and deterring Russia's aggressive policy. 

"Even Biden, in a number of his remarks, tried to explain this by somehow explaining Ukraine's unreadiness, the need to take some steps, and reforms in the political and economic fields. This sounded simply insulting to Ukrainians. What do you mean, "unreadiness"? Ukraine has paid for the ideals of the West - democracy, human rights - with the blood of tens of thousands of its soldiers. And besides, it has been addressing the security of the West. Mr Sullivan, who has been doing everything he could to slow down American aid to Ukraine for a year, reproached Ukraine, saying that they could expect a certain level of gratitude. Does the West understand what level of gratitude it should express for Ukraine's saving it from an invasion from the east? Putin told the West to pack up and get out. He was confident that after his 7-day victorious march through Ukraine, he would be rattling his nuclear saber on the border of Poland and the Baltic states and do the same thing. We should be grateful for that," he added.

Piontkovsky also called the NATO summit in Vilnius a positive result for Ukraine

"Let's not keep a record of gratitude, but rather summarize the positive results of decisions on ensuring Ukraine's security for the immediate period and after the victory. Everything is clear now: Ukraine will be admitted to NATO after the victory, but NATO will do everything to bring this victory closer by providing the necessary military assistance. This will now be the basis for Ukraine's cooperation with NATO," he concluded.

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.