Zelenskyy: Alliance itself and even Russians need Ukraine in NATO

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in Kyiv that neither side is abandoning the need for Ukraine's accession to the Alliance.

Rutte stressed that the earlier decision on Ukraine's future membership remains in force. "Allies have been very clear, and this was last time reconfirmed in the NATO summit on the occasion of the 75th birthday of the Alliance, that there is this irreversible path of Ukraine into NATO," he said.

Rutte acknowledged at a joint press conference in Kyiv that there is still no unanimous agreement among allies on membership, but that, in practical terms, preparations for accession are ongoing.

"From a practical perspective, what we are seeing now is that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are more and more interoperable with NATO. What we are seeing is that when it comes to the standards, we are using the same standards more and more. When it comes to our industry, it's more and more interconnected. We are learning from Ukraine, as NATO, when it comes to drone and counter-drone technology. And NATO still, when it comes, for example, to fighting a war in the air and other aspects of warfare, we can still help Ukraine in that area. So we can still help each other," he explained.

Zelenskyy, for his part, confirmed that during the Ukraine-NATO Council meeting held in Kyiv, support for Ukraine's accession to the Alliance was voiced.

"Today, many countries said they see Ukraine in NATO. And that is true – a very large number, a majority. And no one said they do not want to see it, although some remained silent on this," Volodymyr Zelenskyy added, while acknowledging that there is still no formal unanimity, which remains the obstacle.

Responding to a follow-up question from European Pravda on whether he expects unanimity to emerge, Zelenskyy indicated that he is counting on persuading sceptics.

"The majority of countries now truly understand that Ukraine in NATO is needed by the Alliance itself no less than by Ukraine. And that is a long conversation… I believe even the Russians need Ukraine in NATO. Because in the future it could be painful if Ukraine is not in NATO," he added.

According to European Pravda, Zelenskyy's arguments on this point are based, among other things, on the idea that Ukraine's NATO membership would provide Russia with guarantees of non-aggression from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, despite the fact that occupied territories would remain under Russian control.

In April, Mark Rutte stated that Ukraine's NATO accession is not currently on the agenda, partly because it is being blocked by four countries – Germany, Slovakia, Hungary and the United States.

As European Pravda reported, polls show that most Ukrainians support NATO membership, but do not fully trust the Alliance.