Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been invited to attend the annual NATO summit in Ankara in July, an invitation confirmed by the alliance's Secretary General Mark Rutte. Rutte stated, "I invited him already. He will be there." This marks a shift from last year's summit in The Hague, where Zelenskyy's invitation was in a limited form, reportedly at the behest of the Trump administration, which then prioritized allies committing 5% of GDP on defense over the war in Ukraine. This was in sharp contrast to the 2024 Washington summit under the Biden administration, where Zelenskyy was a guest of honor and Kyiv received guarantees of an “indestructible path” to NATO membership, promises that are no longer part of the conversation under the current Trump administration.

The meeting in Sweden this week served as a vital precursor to the Ankara leaders' summit. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, attending alongside his counterparts, restated the White House’s ongoing dissatisfaction with NATO allies for not joining the US and Israel in the war in Iran. Rubio indicated that President Trump would personally convey his “disappointment” at the leaders' level, stating that the matter “will have to be addressed.” Trump has frequently criticized NATO allies since the start of the Iran war on February 28, when the US and Israel launched surprise strikes against the Islamic republic without consulting allies on military strategy or objectives. Most European countries felt no obligation to join the conflict, but Trump accused them of being “cowards” for not helping reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial international waterway for global oil and gas supplies. He described reopening the Strait as a “simple military maneuver…with so little risk,” yet allies “don’t want to help.”

Amidst these tensions, Rubio raised hopes for a deal to end the conflict in Iran, noting “some slight progress” in ongoing conversations, with reports from the Iranian press suggesting "gaps had been narrowed" following a meeting between Iran's foreign minister and Pakistan's interior minister. Rubio clarified that the US demand for Iran to cease its nuclear weapons ambition remains a “red line,” emphasizing that “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and we have to address the issue of highly enriched uranium.” He also highlighted Iran’s attempts to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz, including trying to establish a “tolling system” with Oman for the international waterway. NATO allies, alongside countries like Japan, Australia, and South Korea, have committed to participating in an operation to reopen the Strait once hostilities conclude.

Concurrently, Ukraine's path to European Union membership is facing a debate over a proposed "associate membership" status. Helen McEntee, Ireland's foreign minister, warned that granting such a status risks leaving Ukraine in "limbo" and could cause it to lose momentum towards full membership. Her remarks were a response to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s unprecedented plan to create a tailor-made status for Ukraine, which McEntee views as potentially creating a two-tiered approach to EU membership. She stressed the importance of applying the accession process equally to each country, noting that an associate member might find itself without sufficient pressure to implement crucial legal reforms, particularly concerning the rule of law and the legal system.

Merz’s five-page proposal, sent to fellow leaders to break a two-year stalemate on Ukraine's accession, envisions granting Ukraine access to decision-making bodies (without voting rights or portfolio), certain EU-funded programs on a "step-by-step" basis, and assistance from member states in case of armed aggression via Article 42.7 of the EU treaties. Merz argues this would provide a "substantial security guarantee" against Russia, acknowledging the significant hurdles and political complexities of completing the full accession process swiftly. The European Commission has welcomed the debate on "innovative solutions" but cautioned that the "merit-based" logic of enlargement must be upheld, while diplomats have expressed skepticism about the plan’s feasibility.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha affirmed his country’s focus on achieving “full-fledged membership” in the bloc, stating that while the search for modalities is ongoing, they "cannot replace our strategic position." President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously rebuffed any overtures for "symbolic" accession. The German letter comes as the EU seeks a window of opportunity to lift the Hungarian veto on Ukraine's accession, which has paralyzed the process for two years. With a new government in Budapest engaged in consultations with Kyiv on the rights of the Hungarian minority, Brussels hopes for sufficient progress to lift the veto in June and open the first cluster of negotiations with Ukraine, known as "fundamentals," with the remaining five clusters unblocked across the remainder of the year.