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President Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky talk in May on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, Japan. (Susan Walsh/Pool/AP)

NATO says it will invite Ukraine to join when ‘conditions are met’; Zelensky calls lack of timeline ‘absurd’

Updated July 11, 2023 at 11:01 p.m. EDT|Published July 11, 2023 at 2:00 a.m. EDT
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Key updates
2 min

VILNIUS, Lithuania — NATO leaders would invite Ukraine to join the military alliance “when the Allies agree and conditions are met,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Tuesday as NATO begins its annual summit in this Baltic nation. Stoltenberg’s comments came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had criticized NATO leaders. In a tweet, he said, “wording is being discussed without Ukraine” that gives little clarity on his country’s prospects for joining the bloc, in apparent reference to draft text that had been circulated. Kyiv wants specific pledges on when and how it can join the defense alliance.

Key updates

Here’s what to know:

  • Though Stoltenberg said Tuesday that NATO was “sending a message to Ukraine, which is stronger than any message NATO has ever sent before, on membership for Ukraine,” Zelensky said any language that did not include a time frame for Ukraine becoming a member of NATO would be “absurd.”
  • The U.S. delegation was furious with Zelensky’s tweet, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive diplomatic considerations.
  • President Biden will meet with Zelensky at the summit, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Tuesday.
  • In a boost to the alliance, Turkey dropped its opposition to Sweden’s NATO membership bid on the eve of the summit, paving the path for Stockholm’s eventual inclusion as the bloc’s 32nd member state. “This summit is already historic before it has started,” Stoltenberg said early Tuesday.
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Though Stoltenberg said Tuesday that NATO was “sending a message to Ukraine, which is stronger than any message NATO has ever sent before, on membership for Ukraine,” Zelensky said any language that did not include a time frame for Ukraine becoming a member of NATO would be “absurd.”
The U.S. delegation was furious with Zelensky’s tweet, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive diplomatic considerations.
President Biden will meet with Zelensky at the summit, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Tuesday.
In a boost to the alliance, Turkey dropped its opposition to Sweden’s NATO membership bid on the eve of the summit, paving the path for Stockholm’s eventual inclusion as the bloc’s 32nd member state. “This summit is already historic before it has started,” Stoltenberg said early Tuesday.
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Skip to end of carousel
Though Stoltenberg said Tuesday that NATO was “sending a message to Ukraine, which is stronger than any message NATO has ever sent before, on membership for Ukraine,” Zelensky said any language that did not include a time frame for Ukraine becoming a member of NATO would be “absurd.”
The U.S. delegation was furious with Zelensky’s tweet, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive diplomatic considerations.
President Biden will meet with Zelensky at the summit, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Tuesday.
In a boost to the alliance, Turkey dropped its opposition to Sweden’s NATO membership bid on the eve of the summit, paving the path for Stockholm’s eventual inclusion as the bloc’s 32nd member state. “This summit is already historic before it has started,” Stoltenberg said early Tuesday.
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