Ukraine initiates discussion with partners of Washington NATO Summit

This was stated by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, who spoke in an interview with ICTV and STB as part of the national telethon, reports Ukrinform.

"We always have maximum expectations, but we have only now started discussing with partners the outcome of the Washington (NATO summit - ed.). This discussion was initiated by Ukraine. We came out with such a position that the sooner we start discussing the results, the better they will be," said the head of Ukrainian diplomacy.

Without disclosing details, the minister noted that the discussion is "at a very early stage."

"Of course, since this is an anniversary summit and will be held in Washington, we will need to hear the opinion of the U.S. on how they see the event because their opinion will have a really important influence here," Kuleba noted.

The head of the Foreign Ministry also emphasized that in relations with NATO it is no longer worth to focus on any intermediate documents or monitor whether Ukraine receives the MAP or not, how many pages are in the Annual National Program, and how we implement it.

According to him, this is a matter for government officials, diplomats, and the military, who should calmly do their job, while Ukrainians should keep the main focus of "Ukraine in NATO" in mind.

"Between today and ‘Ukraine in NATO’ we should not focus - and we should not allow our partners to focus - on bureaucracy. It is very important for us not to slow down the process of Euro-Atlantic integration with extra bureaucracy, extra paperwork, and extra procedures," Kuleba emphasized.

He also noted that during the Vilnius NATO summit, a change in mentality took place among its members, which paves the way to Ukraine’s real membership.

As reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky in an address to diplomats on December 22 stated that effective preparation for the Washington Summit is one of the key goals for 2024.