NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has personally invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the summit in The Hague, according to sources within NATO. The summit is scheduled to take place at the end of June.
Zelensky had previously stated that Ukraine received an invitation, though he did not specify if it was addressed to him personally. The presence of Zelensky at the summit is not yet confirmed because of objections to Zelensky’s visit to The Hague.
Sources indicate that the extent of Zelensky’s participation in the summit remains unclear. While he is expected to be invited to the dinner with Trump and other leaders of NATO member states hosted by King Willem-Alexander on Tuesday evening, June 24, he is unlikely to participate in the main leaders’ meeting the following day.
Zelensky may have the opportunity to address a meeting of NATO foreign ministers or attend a meeting of the ‘coalition of the willing,’ a group of primarily European NATO countries discussing their peace plan for Ukraine. A substantial delegation from the Ukrainian government, including the first deputy prime minister and the ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs, is expected to accompany Zelensky to The Hague.
NATO has not yet confirmed Rutte’s personal invitation to the president, but it has confirmed that “Ukraine” has received an invitation.