Zelenskyy on joining NATO: Ukraine is key part of Europe's defense, waits for allies' courage to recognize this reality

He said this during his speech at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London on June 21, Sky News reports.

Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine managed to make the EU as united as it has never been before.

According to him, as part of the EU's common market and on its way to full membership in NATO, Ukraine is already a key part of European defense.

“We are only waiting for the courage of the allies to recognise this reality,” he said.

“By building Ukraine, we are building much more than one country: we are building the world, and it will [last] during the lifetime of our generation and after ours,” Zelenskyy added. 

The Ukraine Recovery Conference is organized by the United Kingdom and Ukraine and will take place on June 21-22. It is a continuation of the annual Ukraine Reform Conferences that have been held since 2017.

Ukraine's NATO membership:

A meeting of NATO countries will happen in Vilnius in July. Ukraine hopes to receive clear decisions about 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.

On June 16, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on NATO chief Stoltenberg to drop the MAP if Ukraine joins NATO.

CNN, citing an informed source, reported that US President Joe Biden supports Ukraine's accession to NATO without MAP.