A Polish deputy foreign minister has argued that the Nato summit in Vilnius which ended on Wednesday was important in showing stronger support for Ukraine’s Nato aspirations and claimed that the country „has one foot in the alliance.”

During the two-day Nato summit in the Lithuanian capital, the allied states confirmed the 2008 Bucharest Summit decision that Ukraine would become a member of Nato. They also acknowledged that Ukraine’s path to Nato no longer required a Membership Action Plan (MAP) and announced the creation of the Nato-Ukraine Council, a new format of cooperation.

The alliance’s leaders also decided that Nato would create three regional defence plans in the event of an attack on member states in Europe: one for the north of the continent, one for the south, and one for the countries of the eastern flank, including Poland.

Talking to PAP on Wednesday night, Arkadiusz Mularczyk, a deputy foreign minister, admitted that although the summit brought no breakthrough as regards Ukraine’s Nato membership, it was still a big step towards showing stronger support for the country’s aspirations.

At the same time, he said that the summit showed a stronger alliance, especially on its eastern flank.

„We are aware that Ukrainians may feel disappointed that the summit did not propose a date for joining the alliance, but from the point of view of Nato as a whole, there were a number of important, strengthening decisions,” Mularczyk said.

He added that the agreement on the admission of Sweden to the alliance strengthens the security of the whole Baltic Sea basin.

„Turkey has clearly defined itself as a country that is ‘on the right side,’ Mularczyk said.

He argued that the establishment of the Nato-Ukraine Council was another significant decision of the summit.

„We have indicated a certain procedure, much shortened for Ukraine, regarding its preparations for joining Nato and, which in my opinion is extremely important, a declaration of strong political, military and financial support for Kyiv by many countries, including the USA, France, Germany,” Mularczyk told PAP.

He added that considering that the war against Russia is still ongoing and „there is no end in sight”, many countries saw it an obstacle to Ukraine’s rapid accession to Nato.

But, Mularczyk said, „Ukraine heard during the summit that it is not alone and can count on the help and solidarity of Nato countries.”

„On the other hand, the alliance has shown that it is mobilised and getting stronger.” he added.

„After the Nato summit, Ukraine has one foot in the alliance and today we must do everything to win the war, quickly push Russia out of its (Ukraine’s - PAP) territories and to achieve Ukraine’s full membership in Nato in the future,” Mularczyk continued.

At the same time, he expressed concern that the lack of clear declarations as to the date of Ukraine’s Nato accession may make Russia believe that the alliance is afraid of escalation.

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, clearly hoped for more when it comes to a roadmap for his country’s Nato membership, and even vented his frustration on Twitter, but later, after a meeting with US President Joe Biden, he praised the new support Ukraine was offered by Nato countries, particularly security guarantees announced by G7 countries. (PAP)

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