UK Foreign Secretary Says Ukraine's Place In NATO

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd June, 2023) Ukraine's "rightful place is in NATO," UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Thursday, following reports that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy demands a road map on Kiev's accession to the alliance ahead of the organization's summit in Vilnius in July.

On Wednesday, the Financial Times reported that Zelenskyy had made it clear to NATO leaders that he would not attend the summit in Vilnius unless he is provided with a road map on Ukraine's accession.

"Ukraine's rightful place is in NATO," Cleverly wrote on Twitter.

In early May, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine would not become a NATO member before the end of the armed conflict, although adding that he would still like the allies to support Kiev by inviting it to join the organization.

The Ukrainian president announced that Kiev was applying for fast-track membership to NATO in late September. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, commenting on Zelenskyy's statement, reiterated the alliance's commitment to the right of each country to determine its own path and to NATO's "open door" policy, but stressed that the alliance would concentrate its efforts on assisting Ukraine to defend itself.