Ukraine's accession to NATO must be started now, without waiting for end of war – Former president of Lithuania

The former president of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaitė, explained why it is necessary to start the process of Ukraine's accession to NATO now and not wait for the end of the war unleashed by the Russian Federation.

Source: She told about this in an interview with the Associated Press, European Pravda reports.

Quote: "The accession process must start, because waiting for a post-war situation allows Putin to never ever finish this war," Grybauskaitė said. "If we really care about the security of NATO territory, Ukraine inevitably needs to be part of it," Grybauskaitė emphasised. 

At the same time, she doubts that positive decisions for Ukraine will be made at the NATO summit in Vilnius. 

Now, according to Grybauskaitė , many Western leaders are still confused about the Kremlin's true intentions and lack the political will to respond accordingly.

The former president said that many Europeans still do not understand the gulf in values between Russia and the West. She rejected as an "illusion" the idea that the Russian Federation and Ukraine could find a common language through negotiations.

Quote: "It’s not just the war against Ukraine, it’s the quest against our entire civilization. If Ukraine does not achieve a definitive victory on the battlefield, the West will end up in limbo. The aggressive actions against it will last for decades to come," she added.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg previously said that at the Alliance summit in Vilnius, the leaders will adopt a package regarding Ukraine, which will contain three main elements. At the same time, he did not disclose the content of NATO's future decision regarding Ukraine's membership. 

Read more: Appeal of Ukrainian Civil Society Organizations to NATO Leaders ahead of Vilnius Summit

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