Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky landed in the Czech capital of Prague on a tour to drum up support for fast-track NATO membership ahead of the alliance’s summit next week, Reuters reported.
Ukraine wants to get a clear signal from NATO at the July 11-12 meeting in Vilnius that it can join the military alliance when Russia’s war against that country ends.
Although Ukraine wants to join as quickly as possible, NATO members are divided on how quickly this step should be taken. Some of them fear actions that could lead the alliance to an active war with Russia.
“The visit of the Ukrainian president is intended to be an expression of appreciation for the support that the Czech Republic has provided to Ukraine since the beginning of Russian aggression and to bring mutual confidence that this support will continue,” the office of the Czech president, Petar Pavel, said in a statement. .
The two will “coordinate their positions ahead of the NATO summit in Vilnius, where security guarantees for Ukraine are expected to be discussed, among other things.”
The Czech Republic, a NATO member, has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine since the February 2022 invasion, providing military aid and other types of support.
Czech President Pavel, who served as chief of the general staff of the Czech army and chief military adviser to the NATO secretary general (2015-2018), said in an interview with Reuters in May that Ukraine needed support to join NATO and European Union, but joining either union will be a long process.
Zelensky arrived from Bulgaria on a Czech government plane escorted by two air force fighter jets, television footage showed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is leaving for a working visit to Turkey tomorrow, where he will meet with the head of state, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish state TV TRT-Haber reported earlier on Thursday.
Zelensky will arrive in Istanbul at the invitation of President Erdogan.
During the visit, bilateral talks will take place between the two leaders, as well as meetings between the delegations of the countries.
Issues are expected to be discussed, including the latest developments related to the war in Ukraine, as well as the agreement to export grain from Ukrainian ports, which expires on July 17.
