"Principles always signify clarity – understanding what you believe in, keeping promises, and being confident that your words can be trusted. Ukraine has long been told that we have the same rights as any other democratic state in Europe. But is this truly the case? We are not discussing Ukraine's NATO membership right now, during the war. We are only talking about an invitation to join NATO – a political decision that would provide geopolitical clarity for Ukraine and all of Europe and, of course, strengthen our diplomatic positions regarding Russia when the time comes and the second peace summit takes place," noted Zelensky.
He emphasized that it is quite clear why an invitation to NATO does not equate to full-fledged membership in the Alliance.
"However, some leaders talk about it as if they are the same thing. They are asked about an invitation, and they respond about membership. This is unfair. It is simply a way to say 'no,'" added the President of Ukraine.
Ukraine deserves a fair answer, he stressed, and called on the Northern European countries to "support this transparency."
"Please work with partners across Europe, especially in Berlin, so that we can jointly achieve this geopolitical clarity. When Ukraine receives an invitation to NATO, it will become an insurmountable defensive wall against Russia's imperial ambitions. Russia must cease its aggressive behavior, and this begins with renouncing its ambitions regarding Ukraine," concluded Zelensky.
The fourth Ukraine – Northern Europe summit took place in Reykjavik on October 28. Zelensky arrived there today, marking his first official visit to Iceland. The summit includes not only Ukraine and Iceland but also Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden.
Following the summit, a statement was adopted in which the leaders of the Northern European countries reaffirmed their support for Ukraine, expressed interest in developing cooperation with Ukraine's defense industry, and endorsed the victory plan presented by Zelensky.