Joining NATO: a diplomat answered whether Ukraine will receive an invitation at the Washington Summit

It is unlikely that Ukraine will be invited to join at the NATO Summit in Washington in 2024, but progress on this issue will still occur.

This was stated by former Ukrainian Foreign Minister and diplomat Volodymyr Ohryzko in an interview with "Espreso."

According to the diplomat, in Washington, one should not expect the same reaction from the United States as during the previous Vilnius Summit when, together with Germany, they blocked the idea of inviting Ukraine to begin negotiations.

"This may be some kind of half-step forward, meaning obviously there won't be an invitation," the diplomat said.

The United States fears both Russia's defeat and escalation, the use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine, and the need to respond to Moscow's further crimes because it's easier for them not to do so.

That's why Washington is waiting. They still hope that "maybe something will change."

"Unfortunately, nothing will change. It's just a continuation of suffering for Ukrainians, for the Ukrainian people. But it's not their people, it's a foreign people," Ohryzko explained.

He noted that the "first half-step" towards an invitation to negotiate Ukraine's NATO membership will be taken at the Washington Summit.

"Most likely, it will be such a "half-step," you know, still, it's better than nothing. So let's keep an eye on it and keep moving forward because ultimately, we can expect the next half-step towards a formal invitation in the near future. But for this, a very clear and explicit position from our Western partners is really needed," Ohryzko concluded.

Read also:

• The occupiers keep silent: mass cases of cholera among children have been discovered in Mariupol

• Russia will launch an offensive in the second half of 2024: an expert named the main directions

• Kuleba made a loud statement about “Patriot” for Ukraine: what does the Minister propose

• "They are just non-humans": which buildings did the Russians attack with a missile in Dnipro and what was the aftermath (photos)