The NATO Leaders Summit will be held in Vilnius on July 11-12, 2023.
The Vilnius Summit presents an historic opportunity for NATO to fulfill its 2008 promise to make Ukraine a member of NATO. NATO leaders can do so by providing a concrete commitment on when and how this will happen.
Ukraine is the frontline of defence of Europe’s freedom and democracy from Russian tyranny and colonialism. The only deterrent to any future Russian aggression against Europe is NATO membership for Ukraine.
A NATO with Ukraine is a far stronger alliance than a NATO without Ukraine. Ukraine’s military is by far the most battle-hardened in Europe. Ukraine’s Armed Forces have invaluable experience fighting against Russia – the principal threat to Europe and the NATO alliance.
Previous appeasement has only emboldened Russia to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity around the globe. Clearly stating when and under what conditions Ukraine will become a NATO member would demonstrate to Russia that war and aggression will never be rewarded.
Addressing Ukraine’s Parliament on June 10, Prime Minister Trudeau stated, “we will continue to support Ukraine becoming a NATO member as soon as conditions allow.”
Those conditions exist now. Ukraine has fulfilled the key prerequisites for NATO membership: Ukraine is a democratic state with civilian oversight of its military and a transparent procurement process. Ukraine’s Armed Forces have mastered interoperability with NATO forces having benefitted from training by the members of Canada’s Operation Unifier and other allied training programs.
We urge NATO leaders to fulfill the promise of Ukraine’s NATO membership. In the interim, the UCC urges Canada and allies to augment and accelerate military aid to Ukraine to ensure that the counteroffensive, currently underway, is successful and results in a resounding victory for democracy.
