Estonian Prime Minister on NATO's decision: This is as much as we can now offer Ukraine
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has said that she understands the disappointment of the Ukrainian side with the decisions of the Vilnius NATO summit, but stressed that this topic is taken "very seriously" in the Alliance.
Source: European Pravda, citing Kallas' words during a conversation with journalists, quoted by the Estonian broadcaster ERR
The Estonian prime minister noted that disputes over the wording of the declaration of the NATO summit in Vilnius show "that our Allies are also very serious about these words, that they are not just words, but that they too must actually translate these words into action."
"Of course, I also understand President Zelenskyy's frustration, because he wants to live in peace, just as we who are in NATO live in peace. But this is how much we can offer now," she added.
Kallas explained that Ukraine could not now become a member of the Alliance because of its [NATO’s] fear of going to war with Russia.
"What we can do to end this war is support Ukraine so that they can organise their own defence so that they can really push the Russians back into their territory – that's what we can do," she added.
According to her, it is important for Estonia that the final document of the summit contains the word "invitation" and it clearly spelled out the word "journey" – practical steps, a practical roadmap for Ukraine on how to become a member of the Alliance.
The decision of the Vilnius summit contains quite positive wording regarding Ukraine. In particular, the NATO summit agreed to remove the requirement for an action plan for membership on Ukraine's way to the Alliance. At the same time, the Allies made it clear that they would invite Ukraine to join NATO "when the conditions are met".
The summit's decision does not include a list of conditions that Ukraine must fulfil, but a mechanism for evaluating them has been defined. The Annual National Program (ANP) will become a tool for monitoring the reforms implemented by Ukraine. This tool is already at the disposal of Ukraine.
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