Volodymyr Zelensky claims that NATO will be able to guarantee real protection of Europe only together with Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the decision of the Lithuanian Parliament to recognize the need to invite Ukraine to become a NATO member state this year at the summit in Vilnius, writes RBC, according to Rador.
The leader from Kyiv thanked the people and politicians of Lithuania "for understanding the current situation in Europe". "Only together with Ukraine, the Alliance can guarantee real protection for Europe against any interference in the lives of peoples - within the existing borders and the rules-based international order. Without Ukraine, however, it is hard to imagine such resilience," said Volodymyr Zelensky, in a message broadcast on Saturday evening.
According to the president, the decision of the Lithuanian legislative will be continued in the coming weeks and months, with activities in this regard already underway.
We remind you that the legislative (Seim) of Lithuania adopted, on Thursday, a resolution for the NATO summer summit in Vilnius, which contains an official invitation for Ukraine to join the North Atlantic Alliance. The document states that at the NATO summit in Vilnius, it is necessary that Ukraine be invited to join NATO, and the signing of the accession protocols and the start of the ratification process should take place when the conditions allow.
Lithuanian parliamentarians believe that such a step will represent a strategic decision by NATO aimed at establishing peace in Ukraine and Europe.
"We are against security gray areas, we want to prove the error of the idea that Russia has the right to veto Ukraine's accession. We believe that Ukraine will contribute to our security, make NATO stronger," said Žygimantas Pavilionis, head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Lithuanian Parliament.
The resolution also mentions the need to strengthen defenses in the Baltic region, to increase the number of brigade-level NATO troops in Lithuania and to improve the country's air defenses.
The NATO summit will take place in Vilnius on July 11-12. Lithuania will host, for the first time, 40 delegations from member and partner countries of the Alliance.
