Ukraine officially invited to NATO summit: what will be discussed
4 June 14:27
Ukraine has officially received an invitation to participate in the summit of NATO leaders scheduled for June 24-25 in The Hague. This was reported by Yevropeiska Pravda, citing a source in the North Atlantic Alliance, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
The NATO representative noted that the detailed program of the event has not yet been made public, but it will be announced in due course. At the same time, the official emphasized:
“We can confirm that Ukraine will be with us in The Hague.”
The day before, a number of media outlets reported that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had officially sent an invitation to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to attend the summit. Prior to that, the Ukrainian leader’s participation remained in doubt.
The reason for the doubts was reports of the United States’ alleged reluctance to see Zelenskyy among the summit participants. Some publications mentioned that it was Washington that did not support his presence at the meeting in The Hague. However, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly denied these rumors, assuring that the American side did not oppose the invitation of the Ukrainian president.
Thus, Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s participation in the NATO summit has been confirmed, and Ukraine will be represented at the high-level meeting in the Dutch capital.
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What is known about the NATO summit in The Hague
The 2025 NATO Summit will take place on June 24-25 in The Hague, the Netherlands, at the World Forum. This is the first time the Netherlands has hosted such an event and the first summit to be chaired by the new NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte.
The main topics of the summit are
Increasing defense spending. The United States insists on increasing defense spending by NATO member states to 5% of GDP. In response, Mark Rutte proposed a compromise: 3.5% for military needs and 1.5% for related areas such as cybersecurity and infrastructure.
Support for Ukraine. Long-term support for Ukraine, including financial and military assistance, as well as the prospects of Ukraine’s membership in NATO, is expected to be discussed.
Wikipedia
The future of NATO. Strategies for a possible decrease in US participation in the Alliance, including increased contributions from European countries and Canada, are planned to be discussed.
Participants and events
The summit will be attended by 45 heads of state and government, as well as foreign and defense ministers of NATO member states. In addition, the NATO Public Forum will be held with the participation of experts, politicians and civil society representatives.
Local security measures
About 8,500 participants are expected to arrive, including 2,000 journalists. A total of 27,000 police officers will be deployed to ensure security, the largest operation in the history of the Netherlands.
The Summit in The Hague will be a key moment for determining the future of NATO, in particular in terms of defense spending, support for Ukraine, and the Alliance’s adaptation to new security challenges.
NATO-Ukraine relations
Relations between Ukraine and NATO began shortly after Ukraine gained independence in 1991. In 1994, Ukraine joined the Partnership for Peace program, which was the first step towards cooperation with the Alliance. In 1997, the Charter on a Distinctive Partnership between Ukraine and NATO was signed, which defined the main areas of cooperation.
An important milestone was the 2008 NATO Bucharest Summit, at which it was stated that Ukraine and Georgia would become members of the Alliance in the future, although no specific timeline was set.
After the Revolution of Dignity in 2014 and the beginning of Russian aggression, cooperation between Ukraine and NATO intensified significantly. Ukraine was granted NATO’s Enhanced Opportunities Partner status in 2020.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 further strengthened cooperation. NATO countries provide Ukraine with significant military, financial, and humanitarian assistance. However, despite Ukraine’s aspirations for full membership in the Alliance and NATO’s continued support for Ukraine, the issue of accession remains a subject of debate and diplomatic negotiations.
At the Vilnius Summit in 2023, it was announced that Ukraine would become a member of the Alliance without MAP.
After the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States in 2025, the United States openly says that Ukraine will not be a member of NATO. The fact that this issue is not on the agenda was confirmed by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
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