Russia-Ukraine war: Zelenskyy calls for Ukraine accession to NATO

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told visiting NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg that it was time for Ukraine to become part of the NATO alliance. Zelenskyy also called for more arms as Ukrainian forces are holding defenses.

In a joint news conference following talks with Stoltenberg on Thursday, Zelenskyy said that the upcoming NATO summit in July was “historic” and that he was invited to attend. Zelenskyy added that it was also time that Ukraine be invited to join the alliance as most NATO countries support Kyiv and that even most Ukrainians are in favor of their country joining the military bloc.

“There is no objective barrier to the political decision to invite Ukraine into the alliance and now, when most people in NATO countries and the majority of Ukrainians support NATO accession, is the time for corresponding actions,” said Zelenskyy.

With NATO countries having provided Ukraine with weapons, Zelenskyy said more was needed. Zelenskyy said that the delays in receiving weapons would only cause more deaths.

Stoltenberg said Ukraine’s place is in NATO and that the alliance will continue supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes. Stoltenberg said Ukraine’s membership and security guarantees would be on the agenda at the upcoming July summit. Kyiv last year announced a bid to fast-track its membership into NATO following Moscow’s claim to have annexed four territories of Ukraine.

Stoltenberg’s visit to Ukraine, the first since Russia’s invasion in February last year, comes ahead of the meeting of the alliance’s defense officials in the Ramstein air base in Germany. The defense officials are expected to discuss new supplies for Ukraine.

On the same day, Ukraine’s security service said a group of Ukrainian servicemen was accused of treason after they attempted to seize a Russian plane back in July after its pilot said it would defect. The servicemen made the attempt without coordinating with the proper Ukrainian authorities.

According to the SBU, the servicemen revealed details about the location of Ukrainian air force personnel and aircraft that made it possible for Russia to carry out a missile strike in the Kanatove airfield in central Ukraine. The strike killed a Ukrainian commander, injured 17 others and destroyed two fighter jets, among other damage inflicted.