Polish Senate supports Ukraine's membership in NATO on Thursday

On Thursday, the Senate (upper house of parliament) of Poland adopted a resolution supporting Ukraine's membership in NATO.

The decision was made unanimously.

As noted in the document, Ukraine, which has been confronting Russia in the war unleashed by the Kremlin for a year, "defends Europe and is a key link in the continent's defense against aggression from the East."

"Today, Ukraine has the strongest army on the continent with extraordinary combat experience. The Ukrainian army is rapidly adopting NATO equipment and applying operational art and tactics developed over decades among Western allies," the resolution says.

It is noted that Ukrainian defenders need "real support" through deepening military and political cooperation with NATO countries.

Polish senators said that during the NATO summit in Vilnius, Ukraine should receive "much more than previous declarations of an open door policy."

At the same time, the document emphasizes that this summit should become "an important stage in Ukraine's preparation for full membership in the Alliance."

"The Senate of the Republic of Poland believes that Ukraine's accession to NATO should be a political decision, as in the case of Finland and Sweden, based on an analysis of strategic challenges and threats beyond the Alliance's eastern border," the resolution says.

The senators emphasize that Russia presents its aggression against Ukraine as a defense against NATO. "Therefore, if Russia defeats Ukraine, it will not stop at its western border," the Polish politicians are convinced.

They emphasized that the allies identified this threat at the NATO summit in Madrid last June.

"Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia correctly assessed the Russian threat. Most European capitals are only now recognizing our rightness," the Polish senators emphasized.

The resolution states that Finland and Sweden have been invited to join NATO under a procedure that has never been used before. Although Sweden still remains outside the Alliance's structures, the Allies have decided that they will defend it.

"The Senate of Poland calls on NATO member states to apply a similar emergency procedure to Ukraine," the document says.

It also expresses support for the demands of the countries bordering Russia for strong security guarantees for Ukraine, as well as "determining the path to its membership along with strengthening political ties between NATO and Kyiv."

As reported, the NATO summit will take place on July 11-12 in Vilnius. On September 30, 2022, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk, and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal signed Ukraine's application for NATO membership under an expedited procedure.