Zelenski, invited to the NATO summit in Ankara. The meeting comes amid tensions between the US and its allies
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been invited to the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara, Alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed on May 22.
The invitation was confirmed by Mark Rutte PHOTO X
“I already invited him”Rutte said in a press conference held after the meeting of NATO foreign ministers held in Helsingborg, Sweden, according to the Kyiv Independent.
“It will be present, just like in The Hague”he added, referring to the summit of the alliance last year, where the Ukrainian leader met with US President Donald Trump. The Presidential Administration in Kyiv has not yet commented on Zelenski's participation.
The NATO summit is scheduled for July 7–8 and is expected to test the alliance's cohesion amid major tensions between the United States and other allies.
The Trump administration has clashed with European partners and Canada over Ukraine and Russia strategy, Washington's pressure to buy Greenland, and differences over the Iran war.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that “disappointment” of the US President, Donald Trump, towards NATO will be discussed at “one of the most important summits in NATO history”.
According to him, allied leaders should be prepared to deal with it “disappointments” to Trump, after refusing to join the conflict against Tehran.
Most post-2022 NATO summits have focused on Western support for Ukraine in the context of the Russian invasion and Kiev's accession process to the Alliance.
Lately, however, the focus has changed with Trump's return to power in 2025, with the United States significantly reducing support for Ukraine and openly rejecting the prospect of its accession to NATO, notes Ukrainian media.
