Ukraine’s ‘rightful place’ is in NATO, says Rishi Sunak
LONDON — Ukraine’s “rightful place” is within NATO, the U.K. prime minister said Thursday — but he stopped short of supporting French calls for an accession roadmap.
Speaking to broadcasters after the end of the second summit of the European Political Community — held in Chișinău, Moldova — Rishi Sunak said he had held “very productive discussions” with European counterparts on irregular migration and how to help Ukraine and Moldova stand up to Russian aggression.
Asked if he agreed with French President Emmanuel Macron, who Wednesday called for a clear plan for Ukraine’s NATO membership to be discussed next month, Sunak said: “I agree with the NATO secretary-general, Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO, but what we are also talking with Ukraine about right now is making sure that they have all the support they need for a successful counteroffensive.”
Although there’s a broad understanding that Ukraine cannot join NATO while the war against Russia continues, Ukraine wants NATO leaders to show political willingness at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July for its eventual accession to NATO. This week, Kyiv intensified its lobbying to get a firm promise from allies.
Speaking at the GLOBSEC security conference in Slovakia Wednesday, Macron admitted it would be difficult to obtain full consensus within NATO for Ukraine’s membership by next month, so instead he called for “strong, concrete and tangible security guarantees” and a plan for its eventual accession to the transatlantic alliance.
“We need something much more substantial and we need a path towards membership,” Macron said.
Sunak added Ukraine’s allies “want to make sure that we put in place security arrangements for Ukraine for the long term, so we send a very strong signal to [Russian President] Vladimir Putin that we are not going anywhere.”
“We are here to stay. We will continue backing Ukraine, not just now, but for years into the future, and he needs to know that, and we will send that signal of support,” Sunak said.
