Ukrainian President Zelensky Appeals to NATO for a 'Clear Signal' on Membership

(Patria) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on NATO leaders to take concrete steps towards Ukraine's membership at next week's summit, and received support during his visit to Prague from Czech President Petr Pavel, who backed Kyiv's aspirations to join the alliance, Reuters reported.

He said his country needed much more than a general statement from over 10 years ago that NATO's door is merely "open." Ukraine wants to join as soon as possible, but NATO members are divided on how quickly that should be. Some member states are cautious, fearing the alliance could be brought closer to an active war with Russia.

"We are talking about a clear signal, some concrete things in the direction of an invitation," he said.

"We need this motivation. We need sincerity in our relations," he added.

Zelensky said the wording adopted at the 2008 NATO summit was not enough, that the military alliance's door "will remain open" and that Ukraine would eventually become a member.

"We need some kind of signal, a clear one," he said, answering reporters' questions.

"It must be absolutely clear that it is in the Czech Republic's interest for Ukraine, as soon as the war ends, to begin
negotiations on joining NATO, because it is also in the interest of our security, regional stability, and
economic prosperity," said Pavel.

Pavel, who served as Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Army and Chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 2015 to 2018, said in May that Ukraine needed support for joining NATO and the European Union, but joining either would be a lengthy process.