Lithuanian Foreign Minister: Ukraine Is Already De Facto Integrated Into NATO

There are prerequisites for its rapid adoption when conditions are right.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kiastutis Budrys believes that the issue of Ukraine's membership in NATO is not off the agenda at all, and in practice we can already talk about de facto smooth integration of Ukraine into the Alliance.

He said this in an interview with "European Pravda".

The minister agreed with the assessment that Ukraine is already to some extent a security guarantor for the eastern flank of the EU and NATO thanks to the experience, skills and technology gained during the years of war.

"The threats are very clear, especially after what happened a week ago in Poland, Romania, earlier and in Lithuania, when Russian drones flew in. Therefore, we need effective and adequate air defense to counter drones and other threats. And we know where to get all the knowledge - in Ukraine. This integrates us not only at the level of defense industry, but also politically, and at the level of state policies," the minister said.

Budris believes that despite the "lull" in public statements about Ukraine's future in NATO, the process continues in a different form.

"What we are witnessing now is a bottom-up process, and this is something new. Until now, the discussions about Ukraine in NATO have been 'top-down', that is, at the political level, and Lithuania has given you strong support in them.... But political discussions are one approach, but now we have another: when we de facto integrate, de facto cooperate. And then we will one day decide that security arrangements have become a de facto reality," the minister explained.

He emphasized that he did not consider the issue of Ukraine's membership removed from the agenda.

"At the NATO summit, the wording on Ukraine's accession "'when conditions allow' was agreed." This means that when we reach unanimity - it will happen very quickly, as it happened with the recent accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO. But we should not lose time and already now de facto integrate more and more," said Kęstutis Budrys.

"NATO is first of all Article 5. And "'heel article' means that I take an obligation before you to die for your security, because it is also my security. So it's so personal, so "intimate." It's the closest, most intimate relationship you can have. And yes, we will definitely achieve that," he added.

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