Camilla Jessen
US reportedly presses allies to block Ukraine from full participation at NATO summit.
The United States is reportedly urging NATO allies to scale back Ukraine’s presence at the Alliance’s upcoming summit in Ankara.
The move, if confirmed, would mark a shift in Kyiv’s engagement at high-level NATO gatherings.
According to Politico, which cited four Alliance diplomats, Washington is pressing partners not to invite Ukraine to formal meetings during the July 7–8 summit in Turkey.
The report suggests Kyiv could be excluded from the main leaders’ sessions, limiting its visibility at a critical moment in the war with Russia.
Wider exclusions
Diplomats told Politico that the U.S. is also opposing invitations to Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea. Instead, those countries — along with Ukraine — may be confined to lower-level side events.
A NATO spokesperson did not dispute the reporting when asked by the Kyiv Independent.
“We will communicate on participation of partners at the Summit in due course,” the spokesperson said.
The Kyiv Independent said it had contacted the White House for comment.
Forum scrapped
Politico also reported that NATO plans to cancel its traditional public forum, a parallel event that typically features panel discussions with leaders, defense officials and policy experts.
Diplomats cited by the outlet suggested indirect U.S. pressure may have influenced that decision.
One diplomat described the move as “very harmful,” warning it could undermine public backing for NATO’s work and efforts to boost defense spending.
Zelensky’s attendance
The Ankara summit will be the second time Turkey hosts NATO leaders.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has taken part in every NATO summit since Russia’s full-scale invasion began. He attended in person in Vilnius in 2023, Washington in 2024 and The Hague in 2025, and joined virtually in 2022.
In 2025, however, Zelensky was not invited to the main leaders’ session, although he held separate talks with U.S. President Donald Trump and other officials during his visit.
Sources: Politico, Kyiv Independent
