FM Kuleba mentions Ukraine's NATO bid at summit in Brussels

There is no better strategic solution for ensuring strategic security in the Euro-Atlantic region than Ukraine's membership in NATO, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba said at a meeting with the Secretary General of the Alliance Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels, adding that he plans to again raise the issue of Ukraine's future membership.

On April 4, 2023, on the 74th anniversary of the founding of NATO, Finland officially became a member of the Alliance.

Kuleba congratulated both on the events, adding that Ukraine strives to achieve a similar goal.

"Ukraine seeks to achieve the same goal — to become a full member of NATO, and this will be one of the topics of our conversations here in Brussels about how we can move forward," he said.

The minister expressed his conviction that "NATO and Ukraine need each other".

"It's very simple. While we appreciate the practical support we receive from the Alliance, there is no better strategic solution to guarantee strategic security in the Euro-Atlantic region than Ukraine's membership in the Alliance," Kuleba explained.

The diplomat also added that one of the goals of his visit is to speed up the supply of artillery ammunition, infantry armored vehicles, armored personnel carriers and "everything that can be used for a successful counteroffensive" promised to Ukraine by the allies.

The ministers of foreign affairs of the NATO member states in Brussels will discuss the issue of doubling the commitments in the Ukraine support fund, which currently amounts to about 250 million euros per year, to the target figure of 500 million euros.