The Speakers of the Parliaments of Ukraine, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland adopted a joint statement
Today, on the eve of the NATO Summit in Vilnius, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk, together with the speakers of five parliaments of the European Union and NATO member states, adopted a joint statement in Riga supporting Ukraine’s membership in the Alliance. The statement was co-authored by the President of the Riigikogu of the Republic of Estonia Lauri Hussar, the President of the German Bundestag Barbel Bas, Speaker of the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia Edvards Smiltens, the Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, and Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland Elzbieta Witek.
In particular, the Speakers recalled that russia, which has unleashed an unprovoked, unjustified and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, remains the main threat not only to an independent and democratic Ukraine, but also to the Euro-Atlantic region and global peace and stability. They also emphasised that the broad support for Ukraine’s membership in NATO is reflected in the Chairman’s Conclusions of the High Level Meeting of NATO Parliamentary Speakers, NATO PA Declaration 482 “United and resolute in support of Ukraine” and the European Parliament’s Resolution on Ukraine’s sustainable recovery and integration into the Euro-Atlantic community; Resolutions of the Parliaments of the Republic of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania and the Republic of Poland supporting Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations, etc.
They also drew attention to the application of Ukraine to the North Atlantic Alliance signed on 30 September 2022 by the President of Ukraine, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of Ukraine to decide on Ukraine’s membership in NATO as an integral element of ensuring the security of Ukrainians and citizens throughout the Euro-Atlantic area.
The speakers also emphasised that the impressive record and solid experience of the Ukrainian army make Ukraine a security provider and mean that Ukraine’s membership in NATO will strengthen the Alliance as a whole and contribute to the security of the North Atlantic region.
In view of all of the above, the Speakers called on Allied partners, in particular, to:
commit to Ukraine becoming a NATO member, and for the Alliance to define a pathway for Ukraine’s accession to NATO;
work closely together to develop security commitments for Ukraine that are in no way an alternative to NATO membership and should not slow down Ukraine’s progress towards NATO membership;
support the Peace Formula of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi aimed at establishing a comprehensive, just and sustainable peace in Ukraine for global security;
continue to take coordinated measures to meet Ukraine’s urgent military and defence equipment needs, focusing specifically on air defence systems, long-range artillery and essential ammunition, tanks and combat aircraft;
assist Ukraine in strengthening its defence capabilities and capacities, including land, sea and air components, until Ukraine fully restores its territorial integrity and sovereignty within the internationally recognised 1991 borders;
establish a crisis consultation mechanism with Ukraine for consultations in the event of a threat to the territorial integrity, political independence or security of Ukraine or any NATO member state;
provide practical NATO assistance to Ukraine by further strengthening the comprehensive assistance package aimed at achieving full interoperability with the Alliance and a comprehensive transition to NATO standards;
take the NATO-EU strategic partnership to the next level, reaffirming the importance of transatlantic cohesion, and focus NATO-EU cooperation on delivering tangible results on transatlantic security priorities, including capacity building for Ukraine and other partner countries.