Lithuania and eight other Central and Eastern European NATO countries on Sunday voiced their backing for Ukraine’s membership in the alliance.
“We do not recognise and will never recognise Russian attempts to annex any Ukrainian territory,” the presidents of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, North Macedonia, and Montenegro said in a joint statement.
“We firmly stand behind the 2008 Bucharest NATO Summit decision concerning Ukraine’s future membership,” they added.
The nine presidents also demanded Russia’s immediate withdrawal from all occupied territories and called on all NATO allies to step up their military aid to Ukraine.
“All those who commit crimes of aggression must be held accountable and brought to justice,” they said.
Ukraine has long aspired to become a NATO member, but some members of the alliance are sceptical about Kyiv’s chances of joining the bloc.
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed Ukraine’s application for accelerated accession to NATO on Friday, hours after Russia announced the annexation of four temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine.
“Lithuania backs the open-door policy, therefore, Ukraine can count on our unconditional support [regarding NATO membership], even if it seems to be an unattainable goal,” Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas said.
In his words, negotiations and formal procedures for Ukraine’s accession must start now, despite the ongoing war.
“The key thing is not the simplified NATO admission procedures applied in Sweden and Finland’s case but the consensus that this country [Ukraine] can be admitted to NATO and that the process itself must start despite the war,” the minister told BNS.
“In this case, Western countries cannot remain in the same position as they were before the war […]. Security guarantees for Ukraine must be increased now,” he added.
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