Second Day of NATO Summit... G7 Leaders to Announce Joint Statement
"Military Support Details to Include Ukraine's Self-Defense"
Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, announced that on the second day of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit on the 12th (local time), he will strongly demand NATO member countries guarantee Ukraine's security before its membership. President Zelensky plans to meet with key leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, to request military support.
According to Bloomberg and other sources, President Zelensky told reporters on the morning of the same day, "We want all stakeholders to come together." He said, "I will speak and fight for security guarantees during Ukraine's path to NATO," and plans to discuss new weapons with partner countries.
In a separate Telegram message that day, President Zelensky outlined his priorities as ▲ a new military aid package ▲ an invitation to join NATO ▲ security guarantees for Ukraine until NATO membership.
The 31 NATO countries stated in a joint declaration the previous day that regarding Ukraine's NATO membership, "If member countries agree and the necessary conditions are met, we will be in a position to send an invitation to Ukraine." They also agreed to waive the 'Membership Action Plan' that applicant countries must undergo once the membership process begins.
Immediately after the joint declaration was announced the previous day, President Zelensky criticized, "It is unprecedented and absurd that no timetable has been set." He added, "Uncertainty is weakness," emphasizing, "I will address this publicly at this summit."
That afternoon, the NATO-Ukraine Council, which was upgraded from the existing NATO-Ukraine Commission, will be held for the first time in Vilnius, Lithuania. At this meeting, President Zelensky will meet with NATO leadership. Afterwards, President Zelensky will hold talks with leaders of the Group of Seven (G7), including U.S. President Joe Biden. The G7 countries are expected to issue a joint statement on long-term security guarantees for Ukraine.
Amanda Slott, Director of the European National Security Council (NSC), told reporters that day, "Together with the G7 leaders, the U.S. will announce support to help Ukraine build military capabilities to defend itself and stop future attacks." Director Slott explained that President Biden and NATO leadership unanimously agreed on a plan to provide a substantial new aid package to Ukraine.
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