Multi-year assistance programme to be agreed at upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius to ensure full integration between Ukraine and NATO - Stoltenberg

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that a multi-year assistance programme to ensure full compatibility between Ukraine and the Alliance will be agreed at the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius.

He said this during a press conference on July 7.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy will attend the summit. During the summit, ties between Ukraine and NATO will be renewed. In particular, the NATO-Ukraine Council will be launched.

This Council will be a platform for consultations in crisis situations and decision-making, "where all participants, including Ukraine, will sit as equals to address security issues."

"At the Vilnius Summit, the main message will be announced: NATO remains united. We will make Ukraine even stronger and set out a vision for its future. I expect that the Allies will agree on a three-point package that will bring Ukraine closer to NATO," Stoltenberg said.

He believes that Allied leaders will reaffirm that Ukraine can become a member of the Alliance and will unite to bring Ukraine closer to this goal.

Stoltenberg says that the allies will find a unified way to solve the problem of Ukraine's membership. But now, he says, he cannot go into details.

The specific statements will be made public by NATO allies when they are agreed upon and approved by all leaders. 

The statements will be clear: "If Ukraine does not win, there is no question of NATO membership. That's why military assistance is the most important thing now," Stoltenberg said. 

Therefore, the allies will support Ukraine as long as necessary.