Ukraine’s membership in NATO cannot be negotiated, - Estonian President Karis
Ukraine's future membership in NATO cannot be negotiated. Ukraine's movement towards NATO membership is irreversible.
This was stated by Estonian President Alar Karis at a press conference after a meeting with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, ERR reports, Censor.NET informs.
It is noted that the presidents discussed issues of bilateral cooperation, as well as preparations for the Washington NATO summit, which will take place on 9-11 July.
According to the Estonian leader, the most important topics of the upcoming summit will be effective and long-term support for Ukraine during and after the war, as well as strengthening NATO's defence capabilities and readiness to counter the Russian threat.
"The Alliance must send a strong message that NATO will support Ukraine for as long as it takes. Ukraine's membership in NATO is not a matter of discussion, the process of membership is irreversible," Karis said.
The Estonian leader also warned against a misleading "truce" with Russia that would force Ukraine to make concessions.
"Failure to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine will only lead to new and worse wars in the future. Russia and other aggressors will feel more confident as a result," the politician said.
Karis added that the only strategy that works now is to support Ukraine as much as possible. He stated that "there should be no restrictions on further assistance" to Kyiv.
In addition, Karis reminded that his country has set a goal to provide assistance to Ukraine in the amount of 0.25% of its GDP.
By the way, during the above-mentioned press conference, Karis also stated that NATO member states should spend more than 2% of GDP on defence, as Russia will become even more dangerous in the coming years than in the previous decade.
