Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed European allies, urging them to demonstrate during the upcoming NATO summit that Russia has no influence over the decisions of the North Atlantic Alliance and its member states. This position was voiced during a meeting of the Bucharest Nine and Nordic countries.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Significance of the NATO Summit for European Security
The head of state emphasized the importance of the summit scheduled for June, stressing that the principle of NATO’s independence from external pressure must remain unchanged. Zelensky highlighted that the issue of Euro-Atlantic security is the exclusive responsibility of the countries in the Euro-Atlantic space, not Russia, which seeks to influence Europe’s future.
“The NATO summit in June. We must show that Russia has no influence on the alliance and its members. This principle must remain unchanged. Euro-Atlantic security is the business of Euro-Atlantic countries. Putin has chosen to stand against Europe. Therefore, he should not decide our future. We need to make this clear in June because Europe will not compromise its security.”
Response to Russia’s Demands Regarding NATO Expansion
At the end of May 2025, it became known that Russian President Vladimir Putin had put forward conditions for ending the war in Ukraine. Among his demands is a written commitment from Western leaders not to expand NATO eastward. This was noted by several Western politicians, including the U.S. President’s envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, who stated that Russian concerns about further NATO expansion are justified.
It is worth recalling that in 2019, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine enshrined the course for full membership in the European Union and NATO, and changes to the Constitution regarding this cannot be made during martial law.
The official policy of the Alliance is openness to new members. As early as 2008, at the summit in Bucharest, Ukraine and Georgia expressed their desire to join NATO, but this did not happen due to the opposition of certain leaders from France and Germany. However, the summit’s decision stated that in the long term, Ukraine and Georgia would become members of the Alliance.
After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the issue of Ukraine’s NATO membership became even more pressing. Official Kyiv submitted an application for membership, and during the summit in Vilnius in 2023, it was decided that there was no need for a Membership Action Plan for Ukraine, which effectively shortens the path to the Alliance. The final decision on membership will be made when Ukraine meets the conditions and receives the consent of all NATO member states.