British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Thursday that Ukraine’s “rightful place” is in NATO, after participating in the European Political Community summit in Moldova.
“I agree with NATO Secretary General [Jens Stoltenberg] that the right place for Ukraine is NATO,” he said in statements broadcast by Sky News, without commenting on a specific timetable for Kyiv’s possible membership in the Atlantic Alliance.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today that he expects a “clear invitation” to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) at a summit scheduled for July 11 and 12 in Vilnius, Lithuania.
However, Sunak added that the priority is to “make sure you have all the support you need for a successful counter-offensive.”
“We need to make sure that there are long-term security measures in place for Ukraine so that we send a very strong signal. [presidente da Rússia] Vladimir Putin that we will not back down, we are here to stay and we will continue to support Ukraine not only now but for years to come.”
The British Prime Minister also said that he took advantage of the meeting in Moldova to discuss the fight against illegal migration in cooperation with other European countries.
“I have had a number of very productive talks to bolster universal support for Ukraine and also to cooperate in the fight against illegal immigration,” he said.
The next EPC summits are scheduled for October 5th in Granada, Spain and Spring 2024 in the UK.