Ukraine may not have been invited to become a member of NATO at this week’s summit of the alliance in Vilnius as it had hoped – but commentators say the assurances it received were significant and will make a material difference in its war with Russia.
Ukraine received a package of decisions at Vilnius: an agreement to remove certain requirements that Ukraine meet NATO standards in the form of the ‘Membership Action Plan’; security guarantees from G7 countries; more military and financial aid; and a reaffirmation of support for Ukraine’s eventual membership of NATO.
The country’s officials had taken a critical stance towards Western allies for not making a clear commitment to Ukraine’s future NATO membership until the last moment of the conference. But president Volodymyr Zelenskyi appears satisfied with the plans drawn up in the Lithuanian capital, committing Ukraine’s allies to guarantee its security.
