Ukraine's Future is in NATO, Says Secretary General

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed hope that at the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius on July 11-12, alliance members will "reaffirm support for Ukraine for as long as necessary." This statement came during a joint press conference following his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on April 20.

"Ukraine's future is in NATO. The alliance agrees with this, while at the same time, NATO's primary goal is to ensure Ukraine's advantage so that Ukraine is guaranteed to remain a sovereign democratic state in Europe... The support we provide makes NATO's future membership possible," Stoltenberg stated.

For his part, Zelensky noted that Ukraine needs "more than the current format of relations with NATO." He added, "We want to understand when Ukraine will join NATO and we also want security guarantees along that path."

Earlier, it was reported that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had arrived in Kyiv.