Ukrainian president, NATO chief discuss preparations for alliance’s summit in US

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday discussed preparations for the alliance's upcoming summit in Washington on July 9-11.

“We discussed the preparations for the NATO summit in Washington. I emphasized that Ukraine anticipates decisions that will bring its membership in the Alliance closer,” Zelenskyy said in a statement on X, following the meeting which took place on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Zelenskyy further said that he and Stoltenberg discussed the situation in the front line in Ukraine, during which he informed NATO’s chief of recent Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian cities and emphasized the need to further strengthen the country’s air defense.

The two sides also noted the importance of the security agreement signed between Ukraine and the UK during Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's visit to Kyiv last Friday.

“I informed about Ukraine's ongoing work with partners on similar agreements and emphasized the importance of signing such documents, which will be in place until Ukraine joins NATO,” he added.

Zelenskyy arrived in Davos on Monday, where he so far met with his Swiss counterpart Viola Amherd and the heads of Swtizerland's bicameral parliament.

Ukraine’s president is scheduled to give an address to the World Economic Forum later in the day.