NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has officially invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the NATO summit to be held in Ankara on 7-8 July. Zelenskyy's participation has not yet been officially confirmed. The summit will include a meeting of leaders and an industrial forum with partner countries.
Basic context
NATO Chairman Mark Rütte confirmed that he had invited the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky to the NATO leaders“ summit in Ankara on 7-8 July. ”I have already invited him, yes, I have, he will be there," Rutte said in Helsingborg during a meeting of foreign ministers. NATO.
At the same time Politico magazine quoting a European official, reports that the participation of Zelensky in the summit has not yet been officially confirmed. “Everything is still being decided. Everyone is on hold,” the source added.
Expanding the circle of participants and summit priorities
In addition to Ukraine, NATO is considering invitations to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, at the initiative of Turkey, which is hosting the meeting. The summit will include an official meeting of the leaders of member states and a parallel industrial forum with representatives of non-NATO countries.
Previously, the United States opposed inviting non-member partners to the summit, including Ukraine, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea.
Supporting Ukraine as a key NATO priority
Mark Rutte stressed that one of the main priorities of the summit will be further support for Ukraine. “Ukraine's security is directly linked to our own security,” he said, announcing the discussion of support for Ukraine at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsinki.
Rutte emphasised the importance of the PURL programme (the programme for the purchase of US arms with European allies' funding) as a mechanism for urgent assistance to Ukraine. According to him, since its launch last summer, PURL has delivered about 70% of all missiles for Ukraine's Patriot batteries, including the PAC-3, and 90% of ammunition for other air defence systems.
The NATO chief added that Allies continue to contribute, most recently with pledges of more than half a billion dollars from Norway and Canada. He stressed the need to ensure sustainable and predictable support for Ukraine in the long term.
This position demonstrates NATO's continued active cooperation with Ukraine amid the ongoing security situation in the region.
