According to Reuters, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi arrived in the Czech capital of Prague on Thursday as part of a tour aimed at engaging Kyiv on a faster path to NATO membership ahead of next week’s summit.

Petro Pavel and Volodymyr ZelenskyiPhoto: Krumphanzl Michal / ČTK / Profimedia

Ukraine wants a clear signal from NATO at the July 11-12 summit in Vilnius that it can join the military alliance when Russia’s war against its country ends.

Although Ukraine wants to join as soon as possible, NATO members are divided on how quickly the move should be made, with some wary of moves they believe could bring the alliance closer to war with Russia.

“The visit of the Ukrainian president should be a sign of gratitude for the support that the Czech Republic has provided to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian aggression, and bring mutual assurances that this support will continue,” the office of Czech President Petr Pavel said. in the statement.

“During the meeting, the presidents should coordinate their positions on the eve of the NATO summit in Vilnius, where it is expected that security guarantees for Ukraine will be discussed.”

The Czech Republic, a NATO member, has strongly supported Ukraine since the February 2022 invasion, providing military and other assistance.

Czech President Pavel, who served as head of the Czech army and chief military adviser to NATO’s secretary general from 2015 to 2018, told Reuters in an interview in May that Ukraine needed support to join NATO and the European Union, but joining any of the them will be a long process.

Accompanied by two fighters

Zelensky landed on a Czech government plane accompanied by two Air Force planes, TV footage showed.

His arrival followed a visit to Bulgaria for security talks and a NATO summit.

Zelenskyi’s diplomatic adviser Ihor Zhovkva said that Kyiv has secured Bulgaria’s support for joining the military alliance “as soon as conditions allow.” “

During the visit, Zelenskyy urged Sofia to continue military support and tried to dispel the notion that Western arms supplies to his country had expanded the scope of the war.

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