Polish Senate Resolution Supports Ukraine's Accession to NATO

On May 11, the Polish Senate unanimously adopted a resolution in support of Ukraine's membership of NATO. "After a year of horrific war, we know that Ukraine is defending Europe by standing up to Russia and is a key link in protecting the continent from aggression," the resolution says.

Ukraine should receive, "much more than [just the] previous statements of an open-door policy, during the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius." The Senate of the Republic of Poland believes that Ukraine's accession to NATO is totally a political decision - as it was in the case of Finland and Sweden – based on strategic analysis of the challenges and threats that exist beyond the Alliance's eastern border.

"Ukraine today has the strongest army on the continent with extraordinary combat experience," the resolution says, among other things. Polish senators also emphasize that the Vilnius NATO Summit should be an important step towards Ukraine's full membership in the Alliance and that Kyiv should be subject to the same [fast track] procedures as Sweden and Finland.

As noted, Russia presents the invasion of Ukraine as a defense against NATO. "Therefore, if Russia defeats Ukraine, it will not stop at its western border. The Alliance identified this threat during last year's NATO summit in Madrid. Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia correctly assessed the Russian threat. Most European capitals are only now agreeing with us," the resolution says.

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