Ukraine will be in NATO, but sequence of steps matters – Polish politician Czech

He expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.

"I believe that the issue of Ukraine's membership in NATO has been resolved. Ukraine will be a member of the Alliance, the question is the sequence of steps. The first step is to create conditions for ending the war, i.e. to provide Ukraine with weapons that will accelerate the Ukrainian victory. France has announced that it has already delivered long-range missiles following the British Storm Shadow, and F-16 aircraft are on the way, which means that Ukraine should gain a technological advantage in weapons over its enemy," the Polish politician said.

Mirosław Czech added that obtaining modern weapons is extremely important for Ukraine's defence, offensive and victory.

"When it comes to Ukraine's NATO membership, I would not worry about various discussions, this is an absolutely normal process. The Alliance is making a historic decision to expand eastwards, into an area where there is a war going on. The country that wins the war against a nuclear power will be a NATO member. This is a completely new situation that the founders of the Alliance could not have foreseen. Therefore, the process is ongoing, it is not public when it comes to major decisions, but it is moving in the right direction. We all understand that both NATO member states, the US and Ukraine are aiming for the Washington summit in April 2024, which will be the 75th anniversary of the Alliance's founding. I think that decisions will be made there on Ukraine's accession to NATO, at least this is the plan that is evident from the statements that are being made today during the Vilnius summit," Czech said.

More details Ukraine's NATO membership path

The July 11-12 NATO summit is taking place in Vilnius. Ukraine is expecting 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. 

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.

In an interview with CNN, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that an official invitation to join NATO is extremely important for Ukraine. He appealed to US leader Joe Biden to do so.

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.

On July 5, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and his Polish counterpart Zbigniew Rau expressed hope that Ukraine would be admitted to NATO under an accelerated procedure.

On July 7, Jens Stoltenberg announced that Zelenskyy will attend the first meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council in Vilnius.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Ukraine deserves NATO membership, emphasizing that everyone stands to gain from a fair peace.

On July 9, media reported that the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany are negotiating to finalize a declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine on the eve of the NATO summit.

On July 10, NATO reached a consensus on the abolition of the MAP for Ukraine.

On the eve of the summit, Stoltenberg said that Zelenskyy would join the participants at the inaugural meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council.