‘We see how to end war with our common victory’: Biden and Zelenskyy meet at NATO summit

The meeting between Zelenskyy and Biden was broadcast on the official YouTube channel of the Presidential Administration.

At the beginning of the meeting, the US president assured that Washington will continue to support Ukraine.

"NATO membership.... is a matter of a few months, of receiving an invitation. It's hard to believe, 500 days (note: Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine). All your people are incredible. I mean this with all my heart. Your resilience and your resolve has been a model for the whole world to see. I promise you the US is doing everything we can to get you what you need,” Biden said in the presence of reporters.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the United States for its support, in particular for the decision to send of cluster munitions.

"You said 500 days, really hard work for our people: military and civilians. Thank you for being with us all this time. All Americans and the Congress. We really appreciate it... Cluster munitions - you have made a very difficult political decision. But you should know that Russia has been using such weapons on the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions since the first days, starting with the occupation of Crimea, since 2014. The fact that you are giving us such ammunition will help us to save ourselves. I appreciate what you have done," Zelenskyy said.

After the meeting, Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared the details on his Telegram channel.

"The meeting was at least twice as long as planned, and it was exactly as informative as it needed to be. If the protocol had not stopped the meeting, we would have talked even longer. All topics: long-term support, weapons, politics, NATO. We clearly see how to end this war with our common victory," the President wrote.

NATO summit and Ukraine's accession to the Alliance

On July 11 to 12, a summit of NATO leaders is taking place in Vilnius. Meetings are held at the level of leaders and governments. For the first time, the summit is hosted by Lithuania. The events are taking place at the LITEXPO convention center. Thousands of military personnel provide security during the events, with Patriot and NASAMS air defense systems protecting the sky.

The meetings are attended by leaders of 31 NATO countries, including US President Joe Biden, and delegations from Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Ukraine, and Sweden. In total, over 2,400 members of 48 foreign delegations, including up to 40 heads of state and 150 other high-ranking government officials, were expected to arrive in Vilnius. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also attending the summit.

In particular, on July 11, the NATO summit in Vilnius adopted a package of decisions regarding Ukraine: the Membership Action Plan phase is canceled, and the country will receive an invitation to join the Alliance after fulfilling the requirements for accession and subject to the consent of all allies. 

Volodymyr Zelenskyy was outraged by the existence of "conditions" for Ukraine to receive an invitation to NATO and said that it looked like "unwillingness to invite our country to the Alliance."

The Allies reached a consensus on a communiqué regarding Ukraine, reaffirming their 2008 commitment that Ukraine would eventually join NATO. The document further acknowledged that Ukraine's journey towards complete Euro-Atlantic integration has surpassed the benchmarks outlined in the Membership Action Plan. Member states emphasized Ukraine's increasing operational and political integration with the Alliance, as well as the notable advancements made in implementing reforms. Additionally, it was stated that NATO foreign ministers will conduct regular evaluations of progress through the Annual National Program.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, shared his response to the decisions made during the first day of the Vilnius NATO Summit. He expressed the belief that the Alliance should not postpone Ukraine's accession to NATO. 

Furthermore, he mentioned that NATO did not specify the conditions that Ukraine needs to meet in order to join the Alliance, and it remains unclear who should be responsible for formulating those conditions.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the results of the NATO summit and said that if Ukraine had received an invitation to join the Alliance, it "would have been perfect."

On Wednesday, 12 July, the G7 countries agreed on a joint declaration that outlines the parameters of security guarantees for Ukraine. The agreement will be open to all interested countries.