Ukraine has received an invitation to attend an upcoming NATO summit in late June, President Volodymyr Zelensky and alliance officials confirmed Monday.
The development comes after Zelensky warned that excluding Ukraine would represent a strategic “victory” for Russia.
The NATO summit, scheduled for June 24-26 in The Hague, Netherlands, will focus on key issues including Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and United States President Donald Trump’s push for increased defense spending among member states.
“We were invited to the NATO summit. I think this is important,” Zelensky stated following a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Vilnius. The Ukrainian leader’s attendance comes as Kyiv works to solidify European support amid uncertainty about continued U.S. military assistance under the Trump administration.
A NATO official confirmed Ukraine’s participation to AFP, stating: “Ukraine will be with us in The Hague. We will publish the NATO Summit agenda in due course.”
Zelensky had previously emphasized the high stakes of Ukraine’s potential exclusion, declaring last week: “If Ukraine is not present at the NATO summit, it will be a victory for Putin, but not over Ukraine, but over NATO.”
The Ukrainian president is expected to push for NATO security guarantees should a ceasefire or peace agreement with Russia materialize – a prospect Moscow has already dismissed as “unacceptable.”
The invitation marks a significant diplomatic achievement for Ukraine as it continues to seek international backing against Russian aggression.
