Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
And apparantly, Ukraine is not the only non-NATO-state that might need to reschedule.
Ukraine is not a member of NATO, but the past couple of years, the war-torn country has both been a main subject during NATO summits, and Ukrainian President, Volodomyr Zelensky, has even been at the table in person.
In 2022, he joined the alliance members via a video link, and he was physically present at the summits in Lithuania (2023), Washington (2024) and The Hague (2025).
But as NATO leaders prepare to gather in Ankara, Turkey, on July 7–8, debate is emerging over which partners will be given a seat at the table.
U.S. pressure
POLITICO reported on Feb. 19, citing four Alliance diplomats, that the United States is urging allies not to invite Ukraine to the main meetings of NATO leaders.
If confirmed, the move would reduce Kyiv’s visibility at one of the alliance’s most significant annual gatherings.
When approached by The Kyiv Independent, a NATO spokesperson did not directly deny the report when asked.
“We will communicate on participation of partners at the Summit in due course,” the spokesperson said.
Not just Ukraine
According to the POLITICO report, the U.S. is also trying to pressuring the other NATO-members into not inviting four other non-NATO-states to the main meetings at the summit.
The official Indo-Pacific partners of the alliance, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea, which were present at the summits in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, are allegedly also at risk of not being invited to the main meetings.
In 2025 the four partners attended with lower-level officials than the previous years.
Sources: Politico, Kyiv Independent, NATO statements
