Zelenskyy invited to NATO summit in Ankara on July 7-8 – Rutte

NATO has officially invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the upcoming leaders’ summit in Ankara, Turkey, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Friday.

"I invited him already, yes I did – he will be there," Rutte said in response to a question from Politico in the southern city of Helsingborg during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers.

Zelenskyy has not yet officially accepted the invitation, the publication said, citing its own sources. His attendance is still unknown, a European official familiar with the invitation told Politico. "Everything is still being decided. Everyone’s in waiting mode," the source said.

The alliance is also weighing inviting Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to the summit at the request of the gathering’s host, Turkey.

NATO will hold the summit in Ankara on July 7-8, which will likely include an official meeting of leaders and a parallel industrial forum attended by capitals of non-NATO countries.

The United States has previously resisted attempts to invite non-NATO partners to the summit, including Ukraine, as well as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea, the publication said.

One of the priorities of the alliance summit in Ankara on July 7-8 will be further support for Ukraine, Rutte has previously said.

Announcing the meeting of NATO foreign ministers on May 21-22 in Helsingborg, he said he plans to discuss further strong support for Ukraine, which is another priority of the Ankara summit.

Ukraine’s security is directly linked to our own security, the NATO secretary general said. Ministers will discuss how to ensure that support for Ukraine remains substantial, sustainable, and predictable, and based on Ukraine’s needs, he said. The Program for the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) remains an important mechanism for providing urgent support to Ukraine, he said, adding that allies continue to make contributions, with recent announcements by Norway and Canada declaring over half a billion dollars.

Since the launch of this initiative last summer at the summit in The Hague, PURL has delivered about 70% of all missiles for Ukrainian Patriot batteries, including PAC-3, and 90% of ammunition used in other air defense systems, Rutte said. This support continues to flow, but we must build on this further and ensure that allied support remains sustainable in the long term, he said.