“It is clear to us that Ukraine cannot be fully accepted into the Alliance before the war ends,” said Duda.
“However, in our view, this process must continue because it also demonstrates to Russia that NATO hears, understands, and fulfills the Ukrainian people's desire to join the Alliance.”
He added that he communicated Poland’s priorities for the upcoming NATO summit in Washington to the B9 leaders. Poland wants to discuss three main topics: the further strengthening of NATO's deterrence and defense capabilities, the realization of Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic ambitions, and a review of NATO's overall approach to the Russian threat.
The Bucharest Nine is an informal platform for cooperation among NATO's eastern flank countries (Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria).
On May 28, The Telegraph, citing unnamed sources, reported that Western partners urged Ukraine not to demand an invitation to NATO at the Washington summit in July.