The war in Ukraine and the issue of Sweden’s accession to NATO will dominate the crucial Alliance Summit in Vilnius.

As Putin’s war is expected to dominate the substance of the issue at the Summit, the NATO Secretary General has summed up how for 500 days Russia has brought death and destruction to the heart of Europe, seeking to destroy Ukraine and divide NATO.

“Our Summit will send a clear message: NATO remains united and Russian aggression will not be rewarded,” he said.

Apart from the pending accession of Sweden to NATO, there is the issue of Ukraine’s NATO candidacy.
At the same time, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, points out that the “signal” for Ukraine’s invitation to NATO has not yet been settled.

“I think there is no unity on this, it threatens the strength of the alliance. That is why we expect positive results or at least some steps to approach positive results. This is very important for the security of the whole world,” he states.

The United States and other allies consider Ukraine’s accession premature.

“If the war continues then we are all at war. You know we’ll be at war with Russia in that case. So I think we need to pave a path for Ukraine to be able to qualify to join NATO,” US President Joe Biden emphasizes.

In Washington, there are also voices in favor of the rapid NATO integration of Ukraine.

“The sooner Ukraine joins NATO, the better. “Obviously there is a process that takes time, but I really think the government needs to hurry up by pushing for Ukraine’s acceptance into NATO,” says New York Republican Congressman Mike Lawler.