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Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna in Vilnius: Ukraine is closer to NATO membership than ever

Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

12.07.2023

Commenting on the communique adopted at the NATO summit, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that Allies agreed on the next concrete steps for Ukraine to become a full member of NATO. "The decision to remove the requirement for a Membership Action Plan in Ukraine's accession process is a clear sign that we have moved on from the decisions of the 2008 Bucharest summit and now Ukraine's NATO accession is closer than ever," Tsahkna said.

Allies also agreed on continued long-term assistance to Ukraine and established the NATO-Ukraine Council, which will have its inaugural meeting today, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attending. "Based on these decisions we can say that politically and militarily, NATO is ready to admit Ukraine as a member at the right time," Tsahkna said.

The foreign minister also welcomed the compromise reached between Türkiye and Sweden, which is hopefully soon followed by Sweden becoming a NATO member.

The communique also reiterates the continued threat posed by Russia to the Alliance. "Russia bears full responsibility for the aggression in Ukraine and the aggressor must be held accountable," the Estonian foreign minister said.

Tsahkna also welcomed the approval of NATO's new regional defence plans and the decision to raise defence spending to at least 2% of GDP in all member states.