Ukraine's security to be discussed at NATO summit in Vilnius

As a result of tripartite negotiations in The Hague, a joint declaration was signed between the President of Ukraine and the heads of government of Belgium and the Netherlands, the deputy head of the Office of the President Igor Zhovkva has announced.

The document covers the most important topics of the joint agenda:

- meeting the urgent defense needs of Ukraine,
– support for the Ukrainian peace formula,
– Ukraine's promotion toward NATO membership and guaranteeing Ukraine's security,
– holding Russia accountable, as well as the further strengthening of anti-Russian sanctions and the development of a compensation mechanism for damages caused by Russian aggression.

Zhovkva noted that the declaration significantly specified the issue of Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine, and was also able to record the need to consider the issue of security guarantees during the Vilnius NATO summit.

According to him, the document clearly states that Belgium and the Netherlands will support Ukraine on the path of its Euro-Atlantic integration and will strengthen its military capabilities in every possible way.

An important element of the declaration is the recognition that the security of Ukraine is of great importance for the Alliance, Zhovkva noted.

"It is also fundamental to have a common understanding that all of these most important issues for Ukraine, including the provision of security guarantees to our country even before its accession to NATO, should be considered during the Vilnius NATO summit in July of this year," the post reads.

According to the Zelenskyy administration representative, 16 NATO member states, including the Netherlands, have already expressed their support for Ukraine in the Euro-Atlantic direction.

"Our 16 partners are already half of the Alliance members, including Sweden, which is expected to join soon," Zhovkva noted.

During a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on April 20, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is not looking for an alternative to joining NATO and hopes to receive security guarantees from the Alliance during the period of preparation for membership at the July summit in Vilnius.

Stoltenberg said that at the NATO summit in Vilnius, the issue of Ukraine's membership in the Alliance will be an important element of the agenda.