Zelensky: Ukraine not join NATO as long as war continues, but waiting for invitation from Alliance

He said this during a joint press conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö in Helsinki, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. 

"As long as there is a war, we will not be in NATO. We clearly realize this. But we would like our partners to take some powerful steps to meet us and motivate Ukrainian society that this is not only an open door, not only something in the future - we would like support today. And we want political support in this direction today, so that there is an invitation for Ukraine," the head of state said.

Zelensky emphasized that the best and most powerful guarantee of security is NATO membership, but as long as the war is on and Ukraine is not a member of the Alliance, Kyiv needs security guarantees from its partners.

"But in any case, our goal is to have full membership in the Alliance," the President emphasized, reminding that Euro-Atlantic integration is enshrined in the Constitution.

As reported earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Finland on Wednesday for a visit to participate in the Ukraine-Northern Europe Summit.

The meeting of NATO heads of state and government will take place in Vilnius on July 11-12, 2023.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously stated that Ukraine is preparing for the NATO summit in Vilnius and expects a political invitation to join the Alliance.

He also emphasized that Ukraine should receive effective security guarantees before joining NATO.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba believes that NATO should make a political decision that will either determine the timetable for Ukraine's accession directly at the Vilnius summit or oblige it to present it by the end of 2023.