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‘We are preparing the foundation,’ Zelenskyy’s chief of staff says
Zelenskyy and his team are in Vilnius to lay down the foundation and understand security guarantees for their country on its way to NATO, his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said today.
Yermak said that foundation can be expanded into bilateral security agreements with states willing to provide those guarantees.
“I hope that today in Vilnius will be an important stage in our many months of work with partners,” he added.
Zelenskyy and Stoltenberg will hold a joint news conference in about 10 minutes following a bilateral meeting.
Representatives have gathered at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania:
Zelenskyy meets with NATO leaders, including Canada’s Trudeau
It’s been a busy morning of meetings for Zelenskyy, with the Ukrainian president meeting with a string of NATO leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“We are discussing security guarantees for Ukraine on its way to NATO — we have Canada’s understanding, the world’s understanding will follow, and we are preparing an important security victory for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said in a tweet about his meeting with Trudeau.
Zelenskyy is expected to meet with Biden later today.
China hits back at NATO criticism and vows to defend its rights
HONG KONG — China hit back at NATO’s assertion that Beijing is a “systemic challenge” and that its “ambitions and coercive policies” threaten the U.S.-led military alliance’s interests, security and values.
In a communiqué released on Tuesday, NATO leaders said China “employs a broad range of political, economic, and military tools to increase its global footprint and project power while remaining opaque about its strategy, intentions and military build-up.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin criticized the NATO statement on Wednesday as “full of Cold War thinking and ideological bias.” A statement on Tuesday from the Chinese mission to the E.U. said the communiqué “disregards basic facts, wantonly distorts China’s position and policies, and deliberately discredits China.”
The mission warned that China would resolutely defend its rights and interests and strongly opposed any expansion into the Asia Pacific region by NATO, which is reportedly considering opening a liaison office in Tokyo. There was no mention of establishing a Tokyo office in the communiqué.
Biden and G7 allies eye individual security pacts with Ukraine
VILNIUS — Biden and G7 leaders will make an announcement alongside Zelenskyy on Wednesday outlining long-term commitments “to help Ukraine build a military that can defend itself and deter future attack,” the White House said.
Through a series of bilateral negotiations aimed at reaching security commitments between individual countries and Kyiv, the process “will focus on ensuring Ukraine has a sustainable fighting force capable of defending Ukraine now and deterring Russian aggression in the future,” White House National Security Council Senior Director for Europe Amanda Sloat told reporters Wednesday.
“This multilateral declaration will send a significant signal to Russia that time is not on its side,” Sloat added.
Biden has ruled out a pathway to membership in NATO for Ukraine while the war is ongoing and with political and security reforms pending.
Biden’s speech to focus on support for Ukraine, global challenges
Biden is expected to deliver remarks at Vilnius University before departing Lithuania’s capital later today.
The president’s speech is expected to focus on how the United States and its allies are “supporting Ukraine, defending democratic values, and taking action to address global challenges,” according to the president’s schedule.
Zelenskyy lays out priorities for Day 2 of summit
Zelenskyy laid out three priorities for the second day of the NATO summit in Vilnius after no concrete promises about membership in the alliance were made on Tuesday.
“The first is new support packages for our army on the battlefield,” Zelenskyy said Wednesday in a post on the Telegram messaging app.
“The second, I believe, is an invitation to NATO,” he said. “We need an understanding that we have this invitation for when the security situation allows it.”
Finally, Zelenskyy said he hoped to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine on the way to NATO.
Biden to meet with Zelenskyy ahead of big speech
Biden is expected to meet with Zelenskyy before delivering a speech on the final day of the NATO summit in Vilnius.
The meeting comes after a NATO communiqué said the alliance would support Ukraine in forging a path towards joining its ranks, but offered no new timeline for a future invitation.
Biden will later deliver his speech at Vilnius University before heading to Helsinki, where he will celebrate the expansion of the alliance, with Finland as its newest member.
