Kyiv seeks guarantees over Ukraine's NATO accession soon after war

Ukraine wants to accede to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation soon after securing a military victory over Russia, and hopes to receive guarantees that this will happen during the NATO summit in Vilnius this July.

Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Volodymyr Havrylov made the remaks in an interview with Politico

Havrylov said that NATO should provide Ukraine with a list of steps to be taken to ensure its accession, "with a clear confirmation that Ukraine is a legitimate candidate" for NATO membership.

"We would like to hear the plan or roadmap, or a list of actions to be done by both sides – NATO and Ukraine – to achieve the membership in a very short period of time," Havrylov said.

Havrylov recognised that Ukraine cannot accede to NATO while the war is ongoing, but said that "at the same time, we have to understand that after our victory, our process of [joining] the bloc will be very, very short".

Havrylov explained that in the meantime, Ukraine will negotiate a "system of security guarantees" with NATO during a transitional period before membership. This will include NATO countries committing to help Ukraine win the war, supporting the Ukrainian economy, and supporting sanctions and other forms of putting pressure on Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that he understands that Ukraine cannot accede to NATO with the war still ongoing, but sees no reason to take part in the NATO summit in Vilnius if Ukraine will not receive concrete indications regarding when it would be able to join the Alliance.