Ukraine to join NATO regardless of decisions of Vilnius summit – Ukrainian official

Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, is convinced that Ukraine will join NATO regardless of whether it is invited to join the bloc at the Vilnius summit on 11-12 July.

Source: an interview with European Pravda

Stefanishyna noted that Ukraine will definitely not hear "no" in Vilnius regarding its future membership in NATO.

"Now there is a discussion about what kind of "yes" it will be. You need to be aware of this. We will not hear "no", "never", "until the war ends there" – there will be no such messages," the deputy prime minister stressed.

According to her, NATO is now discussing what could be a favourable decision on Ukraine, and "it is very important to realise this."

"It is important for us that we start some work the next day after Vilnius. This is exactly in the context of the Ukraine-NATO Council and in the context of preparations for the next NATO summit in Washington," Stefanishyna added.

The deputy prime minister noted that at the Vilnius summit, Ukraine wants to receive an invitation to membership under Article 10 of the Washington Treaty. At the same time, whatever Vilnius' decisions, Ukraine will become a member of the Alliance, Stefanishyna is convinced.

"We will be in NATO, regardless of the decisions of the Vilnius summit," the deputy prime minister stated.

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

Watch the full interview on Evropravda's YouTube channel: NATO summit: What will be the result?

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