Ukraine: Zelensky believes NATO membership ‘doubts’ weaken Europe

“Every doubt we have is a trench that Russia will try to occupy.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday called on his country and Moldova, which hosts a summit of European leaders, to join NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).

“All European countries that have a border with Russia and do not want Russia to seize part of their territory from them should be full members of NATO and the EU,” he said at a meeting of the Council of Europe. European Political Community (EPC) in Bulboaca (eastern Moldova).

“There are only two alternatives to this: either an open war or a creeping Russian occupation,” Vladimir Zelensky insisted, Moldova and Ukraine already have part of their territory under the influence of Russia. “Whenever we prepare and make decisions for the good of our Europe, for the good of our values, we must remember that every doubt we show is a trench that Russia will try to occupy (…) every doubt brings more uncertainty,” he said. head of state. Ukrainian President.

Decisive US position

At the next Atlantic Alliance summit in mid-July in Vilnius, Lithuania, “clear invitations to NATO membership and security guarantees throughout the membership process will be required,” he said, he asks. “As for our accession to the EU, a clear and positive decision is needed,” he added.

In parallel with the CPE summit in Oslo (Norway), NATO foreign ministers met to discuss, in particular, the prospects for Ukraine’s membership. “We need to create a framework for providing Ukraine with security guarantees after the end of the war,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. French President Emmanuel Macron also called on Wednesday for “tangible and credible security guarantees” for the country.

The US position will be decisive. They have so far refused to have NATO provide such security guarantees to Ukraine, the minister explained in Oslo on condition of anonymity. Such guarantees, consisting in an official demonstration of support for a country in the event of aggression, have recently been offered by several states of the Swedish Alliance, membership of which is blocked by Turkey and Hungary.