Ukraine expects “real progress” from upcoming NATO summit

Ukraine is anticipating a meaningful and concrete declaration from the forthcoming NATO summit, reflecting tangible progress in Kyiv’s relations with the Alliance.

Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, expressed the country’s expectations ahead of the summit scheduled to take place in The Hague, Caliber.Az reports.

“Ahead of the summit in The Hague, we coordinate positions and expectations of Ukraine. We expect a substantive declaration that will reflect real progress in Ukraine-NATO relations,” Yermak wrote on his official Telegram channel.

The remarks come as Ukraine continues to seek deeper integration with NATO in the face of ongoing Russian aggression. Kyiv has repeatedly underscored the need for clearer security guarantees and a defined path toward eventual membership.

Meanwhile, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys stated that an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO "is not on the agenda" for the upcoming summit in The Hague.

“This issue is certainly not on the NATO agenda and nobody has formulated an expectation that there will be an invitation in The Hague, nor have we heard that from the Ukrainians themselves,” Budrys said.

“There is no such expectation that there will be breakthrough decisions, neither before the Washington summit nor now before the Hague summit – it is not on the agenda.”

Budrys’s remarks, made just days ahead of the summit, suggest a recalibration in the alliance’s messaging surrounding Ukraine’s NATO aspirations, particularly in light of shifting political dynamics following the inauguration of US President Donald Trump. His comments reinforce the notion that, despite strong symbolic support for Ukraine, a formal path to membership remains off the table for the immediate future.

By Vafa Guliyeva