WASHINGTON, July 6 — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will not be permitted to address the upcoming NATO summit in Washington, according to a report by The Telegraph. The decision, the report states, was made to avoid offending former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is the presumptive Republican nominee for the 2024 presidential election.
The summit is scheduled for July 9-11, 2024, marking NATO’s 75th anniversary. Officials confirmed to The Telegraph that the agenda will focus on defense spending and support for Ukraine. NATO officials reportedly feared that a speech by Zelensky could be seen as a provocation by Trump.
Trump has criticized U.S. aid to Ukraine and suggested he could end the war quickly. The former president’s stance on the conflict has created strategic complications for alliance planners seeking to maintain unity.
Zelensky has been a vocal advocate for increased military aid and NATO membership for Ukraine, which has been under Russian invasion since February 2022. The Ukrainian leader has addressed the alliance multiple times since the war began, pressing for accelerated accession talks.
The report has not been officially confirmed by NATO or the White House. Officials on both sides declined to comment on the record when approached by The Telegraph.
The decision underscores the delicate political calculations facing the alliance as it approaches a milestone summit. NATO members are balancing the need to demonstrate continued support for Ukraine against the realities of U.S. domestic politics.
Zelensky’s exclusion from the speaker list represents a notable shift from previous summits, where he was given a prominent platform. The Ukrainian president has used such appearances to press his case for more weapons and faster NATO integration.
The summit comes at a critical juncture in the war, with Ukrainian forces facing renewed Russian offensives in several sectors of the front. Western military aid has been a subject of intense debate in the U.S. Congress.
It remains unclear whether Zelensky will attend the summit in any capacity. The Ukrainian president has not commented publicly on the report.
