President Biden said in no uncertain terms earlier this week that he did not currently support admitting Ukraine into the alliance. It would necessitate the triggering of Article 5 of the treaty, which would drag all member states into war to defend Ukraine.
"We value our allies. We value our shared security. And we always appreciate an open conversation," Zelensky wrote, adding that "Ukraine will be represented at the NATO summit in Vilnius ... because it is about respect."
"But Ukraine also deserves respect," he continued. "Now, on the way to Vilnius, we received signals that certain wording is being discussed without Ukraine. And I would like to emphasize that this wording is about the invitation to become NATO member, not about Ukraine's membership."
He called the decision not to include Ukraine in NATO "unprecedented and absurd," citing the fact that no timeframe had been given regarding potential admission.
"It seems there is no readiness neither to invite Ukraine to NATO nor to make it a member of the Alliance," he lamented. "This means that a window of opportunity is being left to bargain Ukraine's membership in NATO in negotiations with Russia. And for Russia, this means motivation to continue its terror. Uncertainty is weakness. And I will openly discuss this at the summit."
During his interview with CNN, Biden warned that admitting Ukraine into NATO while the nation was still at war with Russia would force allies to join the fight.
"We're determined to commit every inch of territory that is NATO territory," he said. "It's a commitment that we've all made no matter what. If the war is going on, then we're all in war. We're at war with Russia, if that were the case."
On Tuesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that Ukraine woul become a member of the alliance one day, explaining that it had simplified the process to only include one step as opposed to the usual two.
He said that an invitation would be issued "when conditions are met." This is a breaking story and will be updated.
