‘Talks about Ukraine’s admission to NATO cannot happen at this time’ – President of Poland Andrzej Duda says

Talks about Ukraine’s accession to NATO cannot take place at the moment.

This statement was made by the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, during an economic forum in Krynica-Zdrój.

Responding to a question about the NATO summit held on July 11-12 in Vilnius, Duda explained that before the summit, he had met with Volodymyr Zelensky and discussed the prospect of Ukraine’s membership in NATO.

“From the very beginning, we understood that this is a very complex issue. In particular, it is complicated because there is a war, and we all understand that there can be no talk of Ukraine becoming a full member of NATO at this time,” Duda was quoted as saying by the media.

He explained that due to the nature of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which relates to collective defense commitments, Ukraine’s accession to NATO at this moment would mean NATO entering into a war with Russia.

“Therefore, it was obvious that NATO member countries would not agree,” Duda stated.

According to him, the summit was focused on opening the door to NATO for Ukraine, meaning that this door would be kept open.

NATO leaders had earlier approved a multi-year support package for Ukraine at the Vilnius summit, consisting of three elements. As NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg explained, the package includes a multi-year support plan to achieve compatibility with NATO, the establishment of a NATO-Ukraine Council, and the removal of the condition of fulfilling the Membership Action Plan, which would streamline the accession process from two stages to one. According to the Secretary-General, NATO alliance leaders confirmed that Ukraine will become a NATO member when allies decide that the conditions have been met.