- Ukraine’s president says it would be “absurd” if Ukraine is not offered NATO membership at the alliance’s summit.
- Discussions about Ukraine’s membership are expected to dominate the two-day summit.
- Putin has a meeting at Kremlin as NATO members gather in Vilnius.
- The Kremlin also warned that Ukraine in NATO would be “potentially very dangerous” for European security, adding that it is “very closely” following the two-day summit.
- ‘A criminal act’: North Korea condemns US offer of cluster munitions to Kyiv
Ukraine’s president says it would be “absurd” if Ukraine is not offered NATO membership at the alliance’s summit. Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine “deserves respect”, adding that it seems there is “no readiness” to invite Ukraine to NATO or make it a member of the alliance.
He tweeted: “It’s unprecedented and absurd when the timeframe is not set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine’s membership. While at the same time vague wording about ‘conditions’ is added even for inviting Ukraine. “It seems there is no readiness neither to invite Ukraine to NATO nor to make it a member of the Alliance.
“This means that a window of opportunity is being left to bargain Ukraine’s membership in NATO in negotiations with Russia. And for Russia, this means the motivation to continue its terror.” Discussions about Ukraine’s membership are expected to dominate the two-day summit. While NATO members agree Ukraine cannot join during the war, they have disagreed over how quickly it could happen afterward and under what conditions.
Let’s cross to Russia where Vladimir Putin has held a meeting at the Kremlin as NATO allies gather in the Lithuanian capital. The Russian president met the chief executive of VTB bank, Andrey Kostin, and was pictured sitting across a rather short table. Earlier, the Kremlin said it would make a “deep analysis” of statements by Western leaders at the summit and would take measures to protect Russia’s own security.
The Kremlin also warned that Ukraine in NATO would be “potentially very dangerous” for European security, adding that it is “very closely” following the two-day summit.
The US decision to offer Kyiv cluster munitions is a “dangerous criminal act” that must be stopped, the North Korean foreign minister has said. Choe Son Hui was quoted in state media as saying: “I strongly condemn the US decision to provide weapons of mass destruction to Ukraine as a dangerous criminal act as it tries to push the world into new calamity, and strongly demand that it be withdrawn immediately.”
The fact that Joe Biden had admitted it was a difficult decision showed he was aware of the disastrous consequences of the use of cluster munitions, she added. North Korea has forged closer ties with the Kremlin and backed Moscow after it invaded Ukraine in February last year.
Pyongyang’s comments add to the controversy surrounding the US’s offer of cluster munitions, which are banned by many allies because they kill indiscriminately and can remain lethal long after a conflict has ended.
The US announced last week it will send Ukraine the controversial weapons – banned in more than 100 countries – as part of an $800m security package. Ukraine said the US decision would help to liberate occupied territory but promised the munitions would not be used in Russia.
(With inputs from agencies)
