The leaders of the countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have concluded this Wednesday the summit that they have held in Vilnius (Lithuania) with the first meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, a new forum in which Kyiv and the allies will be able to hold consultations and make decisions on an equal footing and with which the Alliance seeks strengthen their political relationship with the former Soviet republic.

However, the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelenski, has described the summit as an “important victory for Ukraine” and has appreciated the support of his Western allies strengthened during the summit, especially the long-term security guarantees for his country, although he admitted that these are conditioned to the development of the war.

“Ukraine is aware that Western support depends on the situation at the front,” assured the Ukrainian leader, in a last appearance before the media at the close of the Alliance summit, in which despite not getting a formal invitation a “bridge” was drawn up to its entrance. “The current situation is what it is. Our priority is victory and then the integration will come”, he explained, to mention next both the membership of NATO and the European Union (EU).

Zelenski has downplayed the change in tone shown before the leaders of NATO as well as during the signing of a declaration with those of the G7, by which the seven powers commit themselves to guarantee the security of Ukraine in the long term, with respect to the message expressed the day before on Twitter. In that text, the Ukrainian president described as “absurd” that the Alliance did not specify a calendar or roadmap for their entry and crudely showed their disappointment. “I have not changed my mind. We have had important discussions with our allies here in Vilnius, which have been followed by important agreements for my country. It is the fundamental thing”has stated.

Approach without specificity

The rapprochement between the Alliance and Ukraine has been precisely the main result of a summit in which, however, NATO has avoided inviting Kyiv to join the transatlantic organization. Even so, the leaders agreed to simplify the process of Ukraine’s future NATO membership and gave the green light to a new multi-year program to ensure full interoperability of Ukrainian forces with those of the Alliance.

In the statement adopted at the meeting, they noted that NATO will be “in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the Alliance when the allies agree and the conditions are met.” “It is extremely important to recognize that the decisions that all allies have made are the strongest message about Ukraine and membership that this Alliance has ever made, clearly stating that Ukraine will become a member, that the future of Ukraine is in NATO and also when describing the way forward,” Stoltenberg said.

In addition, he added that this Wednesday the allies had “a very good meeting with President Zelensky and His delegation, in which it welcomed the very strong message from the NATO allies, welcomed the establishment of the NATO-Ukraine Council and also the clear commitment to bring Ukraine closer to membership.”