Press cartoon of the week NATO Summit in Vilnius

Zelensky in the waiting room

Published on 12 July 2023
Amorim Zelensky Erdogan Ukraine Sweden NATO Vilnius 2023

Ukraine will have to wait a little longer before it is officially invited to join NATO, as the last major obstacle to Sweden joining the Atlantic Alliance – Turkey's veto – is lifted in exchange for Stockholm's support for resuming negotiations for Ankara's accession to the European Union.

At the NATO summit held in Vilnius on 11 and 12 July, the fears of the United States and Germany that it could lead to the continuation and spread of the war in Ukraine outweighed the enthusiasm of the Central and Eastern European countries, as well as France, for Kyiv joining the Alliance. The Ukrainian delegation, led by President Volodymyr Zelensky, was disappointed, though the Allies discussed at length guarantees of military assistance for Ukraine.


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