Balkan ministers back Ukraine’s NATO bid at Dubrovnik summit
Foreign ministers from eight Balkan and Eastern European countries signed a joint declaration backing Ukraine’s NATO membership and rejecting Russian claims, at the Dubrovnik Forum 2025 in south Croatia, on Saturday, 12 July.
Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman hosted Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha alongside ministers from Albania, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania and Slovenia.
In their joint statement, the group said Ukraine should be invited to join NATO “when Allies agree and conditions are met”.
The statement described NATO membership as “the most cost-effective security guarantee” for Ukraine and said no non-member country should influence enlargement.
“Neither Russia nor any other state that is not a NATO member has the right to veto the Alliance’s enlargement,” the declaration said. “We support Ukraine on its irreversible path to full Euro‑Atlantic integration.”
Zelenskyy welcomes neighbourly solidarity
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the statement “a clear signal of solidarity from our Balkan partners”, according to a release from the Ukrainian Presidential Office on 12 July.
The development comes as NATO reaffirmed its political commitment to Ukraine’s membership at the Washington summit held from 9-11 July. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Ukraine’s future as an alliance member was “a matter of when, not if”.
NATO's eastern flank rallies behind Ukraine - Serbia, Bulgaria hold back
In a parallel effort, foreign ministers from Poland, Romania and Lithuania issued a similar statement in Warsaw on 2 June backing Ukraine’s bid and rejecting Russia’s narrative over NATO expansion.
Serbia and Bulgaria did not sign the Dubrovnik declaration. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has maintained a policy of strategic ambiguity regarding NATO, while Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has voiced concerns about deepening military support for Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on 13 July that it would continue working with regional partners to build momentum for Ukraine’s NATO accession. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in June: “We support Ukraine because its victory is our security.”
Ukraine's NATO bid
Ukraine is actively pursuing NATO membership, having formally applied in September 2022 and made Euro-Atlantic integration a national priority.
While the country has not yet received a formal invitation or entered the Membership Action Plan, NATO has acknowledged Ukraine’s “irreversible path” to joining the Alliance, most recently reaffirmed at the 2024 Washington Summit.
Kyiv has deepened political and military cooperation through mechanisms such as the NATO-Ukraine Council and continues implementing reforms aligned with NATO standards.
However, full membership remains conditional on Allied consensus and the resolution of wartime factors, with NATO maintaining that Ukraine will be invited “when Allies agree and conditions are met".