Zelenskyy outraged by existence of conditions even for inviting Ukraine to NATO, White House responds

In his Telegram posting,  Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine appreciates openness, but, according to him, right now on the sidelines of the summit, wording is being discussed regarding an invitation to join the Alliance, in which Ukraine is not participating.

"We value our allies. We value our common security. And we always value an open conversation. Ukraine will be represented in Vilnius, at the NATO summit. Because this is respect. But Ukraine also deserves respect. Now, on the way to Vilnius, we received  signals that wording is being discussed without Ukraine. And I want to emphasize: this wording is only about the invitation, not about Ukraine's membership," he wrote. 

The president emphasized that the absence of a timeframe for Ukraine's invitation and membership is absurd and was outraged by the existence of certain 'conditions' for this.

"Unprecedented and absurd - when there is no time frame for both the invitation (!) and for the membership of Ukraine; and when instead some strange wording is added about 'conditions' even for inviting Ukraine... It looks like there is no readiness to even invite Ukraine to  NATO, nor make it a member of the Alliance," the message says.

The head of state emphasizes that the uncertainty of the allies will only motivate the Russian Federation to continue terror and said that he will discuss this during the summit.

"So, there remains an opportunity to discuss Ukraine's membership in NATO - in negotiations with Russia. And for Russia, this means motivation to continue its terror. Uncertainty is weakness. And I will openly discuss this at the summit," Zelenskyy added.

The White House's response to Zelenskyy's statement

Later, the White House National Security Council's Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby commented on Zelenskyy's statement and noted that Ukraine still has to fulfill requirements before it can join NATO. He also said that Ukraine would not be able to join the Alliance while it is at war.

"We believe that NATO is in Ukraine's future. I mean, that's something that the alliance agreed way back in 2008. Now there’s some reforms — good governance, rule of law, political reforms — that Ukraine needs to work on, and we understand it's hard to work on some of those reforms when you are at war. Of course, they are at war right now. So, NATO membership in the immediate future isn't likely because that would put NATO at war with Russia," he said. 

Nevertheless, Kirby acknowledged Zelenskyy's disappointment.

"Yes, there are frustrations, there are desires to end this war quickly, all of that we understand. Of course, we share many of those concerns," he added.

More details on NATO summit and Ukraine's accession to the Alliance

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. 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. 

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.

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.