Ukraine's future lies in NATO, it cannot be left in the grey zone – Lithuanian President

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has said that the NATO summit in Vilnius should send a clear message that the Alliance is ready to fight not only for every inch of its territory but also from the first minute of aggression, if necessary.

Source: Nausėda during his speech at the meeting of the Bucharest Nine countries in Bratislava, as reported by European Pravda

Quote: "The security situation in the Baltic region has only deteriorated since the Madrid Summit. The Russian threat has not disappeared, and moreover, the Kremlin is moving part of its tactical nuclear arsenal to Belarus," Nausėda said.

Details: He urged NATO to adopt new regional defence plans, consolidate the concept of forward defence, and strengthen air defence in the Baltic region and on the Alliance's eastern flank.

Besides, the Lithuanian president believes that another important task of the NATO Summit in Vilnius is to discuss the prospects of Ukraine's membership in the Alliance and a clear path to strengthen political ties between NATO and Ukraine.

"The future of Ukraine lies in NATO. We need a definite way to bring Ukraine as close as possible to NATO, to bring it closer to an invitation to join. Ukraine cannot be left in the grey zone any longer. We cannot risk wars in Europe again," Nausėda stressed.

Background: On 3 June, Zelenskyy said he does not see the point of participating in the NATO summit in Vilnius unless Ukraine receives specific signals about when it can join the Alliance.

Kyiv has said it is preparing to discuss two sets of issues during the NATO summit: political and practical.

Read also: Ukraine's NATO Membership Needs no Action Plan, We Have to Leave 2008 Mistakes Behind.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!