From NATO summit: ‘Ukraine’s future is in NATO’

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to Vilnius on July 11 for the 2023 summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Among other topics at the annual summit, leaders discussed Ukraine’s bid to join the organization.

NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said during a summit press conference that the organization would invite Ukraine to join the alliance when the country meets certain conditions. These include measures to fight corruption and modernization of Ukraine’s institutions, including its security and defense sectors. 

Stoltenberg added that the pathway for Ukraine to join NATO would be changed from a two-step process to a one-step process. The General Secretary also announced a long-term military assistance program to Ukraine and confirmed the creation of a new NATO-Ukraine Council.

Stoltenberg noted that the most urgent task is for Ukraine to achieve victory in the Russia-Ukraine war. 

A statement published on the alliance’s website says that “Ukraine’s future is in NATO.”