Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will travel to Vilnius, Lithuania to meet NATO’s leaders at a summit of the military alliance his country is seeking to join.
(Bloomberg) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will travel to Vilnius, Lithuania to meet NATO’s leaders at a summit of the military alliance his country is seeking to join.
Zelenskiy will arrive Wednesday, according to people familiar with the matter. A spokesman for Zelenskiy declined to comment.
The gathering in Vilnius, less than 600 miles from Moscow, comes at a key moment, with Russia’s war in Ukraine nearing the 18-month mark. NATO aims to supply Kyiv with fresh munitions, including US-provided cluster bombs, and to assess the impact of the Wagner Group’s aborted mutiny last month on Russia’s leadership and operations.
Zelenskiy has called for NATO to send clear signals in support of membership beyond a 15-year-old statement that Ukraine will eventually join. He has said he wants NATO membership to begin after the war ends.
US President Joe Biden has said Ukraine isn’t “ready for membership in NATO,” cautioning in a CNN interview that the alliance’s Article 5 security guarantees could draw it into war with Russia. He has repeatedly said the US has no intention of fighting Russia.
Read more: Solidarity or Squabbling: Five Things to Watch at NATO’s Summit
At the two-day NATO summit Tuesday and Wednesday, members of the military alliance intend to set out a clear path for Kyiv to eventually join. The 31 NATO countries are expected to offer promises of long-term support, aimed at deepening ties without immediately making Ukraine a member.
–With assistance from Milda Seputyte.
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