KYIV. May 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Estonia’s goal at the NATO summit in Vilnius is to provide Ukraine with a clear program of action for joining the alliance, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels on Friday.
They discussed the Alliance’s further support for Ukraine and preparations for the upcoming Vilnius summit in July, the press service of the Foreign Ministry reported.
“As President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently wished in Finland, we also want Ukraine to become the 33rd full member of the defense alliance after Sweden,” Tsakhna said.
According to him, “the only guarantee of Ukraine’s security is membership in NATO.”
The Minister also said that the alliance countries should start implementing the new NATO strategy agreed last year in Madrid.
“In the new security situation, all allies should increase their defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030. Estonia’s defense spending will exceed 3% of GDP next year,” the Foreign Minister said.
In addition, he expressed hope that Turkey and Hungary will ratify Sweden’s membership in the alliance before the NATO summit in Vilnius scheduled for July.