Zelensky says it is time for NATO to invite Ukraine into alliance

Zelensky said on Thursday it was time for NATO to take the political decision to invite Ukraine to join the military alliance, and that Kyiv wanted to know when it would become a member. The Ukrainian leader told a joint news conference in Kyiv with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg that a NATO summit in Vilnius in July could be "historic", and that he had been invited to attend.

"I am grateful for the invitation to visit the summit, but it is also important for Ukraine to receive the  corresponding invitation," he told reporters. "There is not a single objective barrier to the political decision to invite Ukraine into the alliance and now, when most people in NATO countries and the majority of Ukrainians support NATO accession, is the time for the corresponding decisions".

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•  Prevention of Ukraine’s accession to NATO remains one of the special military operation’s goals, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Thursday.

"Of course, because, otherwise, this will pose a serious, significant threat for our country’s security," the spokesman said, answering a question.

Commenting on NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s visit to Kiev, Peskov said that the Kremlin has no assessments of perspectives of Ukraine’s accession to the alliance.

"No, the Kremlin has no assessments of perspectives," he noted.