NATO leaders will discuss assistance to Ukraine during the Alliance's summit in Washington on July 9-11. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says one of the topics will be the coordination of arms supplies.
"I expect more to be announced in the coming days and weeks. At this meeting I expect that Ministers will approve a plan for NATO to lead the coordination of security assistance and training to Ukraine," says Stoltenberg.
According to him, in this way, NATO Allies will be able to help Ukraine create the forces of the future and ensure interoperability, which will bring the country closer to membership in the Alliance.
The Secretary-General clarifies that in this case, NATO's role will be to meet Ukraine's needs to defend itself against Russian aggression and to assist in Euro-Atlantic integration.
Stoltenberg adds that he expects NATO Allies to agree on long-term financial commitments.
At the same time, the Secretary-General adds, member states should agree on strong language on Ukraine's future accession to NATO during the summit.
"It's not for me to go into the details of the exact wording, but I expect that this language will be even clearer in our commitment that Ukraine will become a member of the Alliance," Stoltenberg says.
He emphasizes that he also expects important announcements from the allies regarding the supply of large quantities of weapons, air defense missiles, and artillery to help Ukraine repel the Russian invasion.
NATO Summit in Washington, D.C.
This year's NATO Summit will be held in Washington, DC. According to U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, the event will focus on developing a roadmap for Ukraine's accession to the Alliance.
At the same time, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna said that Kyiv expects strategic decisions on air defense from the allies.
Yehor Chernev, Head of the Permanent Ukrainian Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, spoke in more detail about Ukraine's expectations from the NATO summit in a commentary to RBC-Ukraine.