Zelensky to Attend NATO Summit in July, Alliance Chief Says

May 25 ------ Asked during a press conference whether an invitation had been sent to President Volodymyr Zelensky, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed that he had already invited the Ukrainian leader to the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara. “Yes, I did,” Rutte said. “He will be there.”

The next NATO summit is scheduled for July 7-8 in Turkey, following last year’s leaders’ meeting in The Hague, where Zelensky also attended and delivered a keynote address.

Ukraine keeps its seat at the table

Moscow has repeatedly sought to block Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration and portray Kyiv as reliant on weakening Western support. Zelensky’s presence in Ankara would send the opposite message: that Ukraine remains closely connected to NATO capitals and central to the alliance’s security planning. Rutte said Friday that continued support for Ukraine remains central to NATO’s own security. “Ukraine must have what it needs to defend itself today and deter future aggression tomorrow,” he said after a meeting of foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden.

A message to Putin

For Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zelensky’s invitation is another sign that Moscow has failed to isolate Ukraine diplomatically. Rather than pushing Kyiv out of Western decision-making, Russia’s full-scale invasion has made Ukraine a permanent focus of NATO’s agenda. The alliance has increased defense spending, expanded military aid mechanisms for Kyiv, and incorporated lessons from Ukraine’s battlefield experience into NATO planning.

Turkey’s role adds weight

The choice of Ankara as host adds another layer of significance. Türkiye is a NATO member that has maintained ties with both Kyiv and Moscow, while also playing a role in diplomacy around the war. Hosting Zelensky at a NATO summit in Ankara would underline the alliance’s broader message that Ukraine’s future cannot be decided by Moscow. The NATO chief also noted that Ukraine’s front line was stabilizing and praised Kyiv’s innovation in drone and anti-drone warfare. “I would not be too happy if I were Putin today,” Rutte said, adding that battlefield developments in recent weeks were “not going in the right direction” for Russia.

Source: kyivpost.com