Media: NATO set to invite Ukrainian leader to The Hague summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to receive an invitation to the upcoming NATO summit scheduled for late June in The Hague.

However, he is not anticipated to participate in the working sessions of the summit, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Zelenskyy is likely to be invited, but emphasised that he will not take part in the working meetings planned in The Hague. While most NATO member states insist on his presence in The Hague one way or another, there is caution due to the sensitive political dynamics surrounding US President Donald Trump, with whom Zelenskyy has had particularly difficult relations.

On May 15, Euractiv, citing sources, reported that Zelenskyy would not be invited to the NATO summit in The Hague for the first time since the beginning of the Special Military Operation, due to concerns that inviting the Ukrainian side could cause tension, especially with Trump, who is trying to negotiate with Russia and has been a vocal opponent of Ukraine’s near-term NATO membership. 

On May 27, Yegor Chernev, head of the Ukrainian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, said that when Kyiv requested the invitation of Ukrainian representatives to the summit, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte avoided giving a direct response. 

On June 2, Zelenskyy claimed via his Telegram channel that Ukraine had indeed been invited to the NATO summit. The event is scheduled to take place in The Hague on June 24-25. Around 45 heads of state and government, 45 foreign and defense ministers, as well as approximately 6,000 delegation members are expected to participate in the event.

By Naila Huseynova