Nausėda hopes Zelensky to come to Vilnius for NATO summit

President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda said this in an interview with Reuters, Ukrinform reports.

Nausėda advised NATO allies to reject fears that Ukraine's involvement in the military alliance would provoke Russia, which invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

"We should not hesitate to take bolder decisions because otherwise the Putin regime will decide that the Western allies are too weak, (that they should be) pushed to the corner and they will surrender," the Lithuanian president said.

According to him, "stronger" wording on Ukraine's NATO membership prospects would boost the morale of Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield.

Nausėda noted that at next week's meeting in Vilnius, Ukraine could be offered an easier path to NATO membership after the war and more military support.

"We have some countries which are cautious about the stronger wording on Ukraine's perspective. But I already see some shift in the minds of their leaders," the Lithuanian president said.

He emphasized that everyone understands that now, in the midst of the war, Ukraine cannot immediately join NATO.

"We understand that. Ukrainians understand that. But we need to create procedures, how to proceed ... so there is no wasting of time if the war is over and victory is on Ukrainian side," Nausėda said.

He expressed hope that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky would come to Vilnius, despite his warnings that he sees no point in going unless Kyiv is given a "signal" at the meeting. "I hope he will be here and he will play an important role in the decision making in Vilnius," he said.

The Lithuanian president also noted that several countries are preparing an "additional portfolio of (military support) obligations" for Ukraine to be announced at the NATO summit.

At the same time, Lithuania expects provocations on the border with Belarus, which provided asylum to the leader of the "Wagner" PMC Yevgeny Prigozhin after the failed coup, during and after the summit.

As reported, the NATO summit will be held in Vilnius on July 11-12, during which one of the main issues to be discussed at the level of heads of state and government of the allied countries will be the continuation of military assistance to Ukraine, as well as measures to strengthen the Alliance's deterrence and defense system.