Zelensky's Participation in NATO Summit: New Opportunities Ahead
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend the NATO summit scheduled for late June in The Hague, Netherlands.
This was confirmed by Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans in an interview with WNL.
Zelensky at NATO Summit: A Significant Participation
“NATO is looking at where in the agenda [of the summit] Zelensky might have a good spot,” noted the Dutch minister, confirming plans for the Ukrainian leader's participation.
The summit will also see the presence of U.S. President Donald Trump.
However, Brekelmans did not answer questions about a potential bilateral meeting between Zelensky and Trump in The Hague.
The NATO leaders' summit is scheduled for June 24-26, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands.
Potential Absence of Zelensky from NATO Summit
Earlier reports indicated that for the first time in three years, Zelensky would not be invited to participate in the main discussions of the NATO summit in the Netherlands in June.
The goal of this summit is to demonstrate unity within the alliance. Involvement of Ukraine could potentially create tensions, especially with President Trump advocating for negotiations with Russia and opposing Ukraine's NATO membership in the near future.
It is worth noting that since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kyiv has consistently participated in NATO summits.
In 2022, the Ukrainian delegation attended the summit in Madrid virtually. In Vilnius in 2023 and Washington in 2024, President Zelensky was present in person. Last year’s meeting also included sessions in the NATO-Ukraine format.
