Activists in France urge NATO to invite Ukraine to join

The Association of Ukrainians in France (AUF) and the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) held a rally in Paris, calling for Ukraine to be invited to NATO, reported Volodymyr Kogutyak, UWC Vice President for Western Europe and AUF Vice President.

Both Ukrainian and French citizens attended the event. A flash mob was organized for children, where they drew hearts and expressed gratitude to Ukraine’s defenders. The rally was held in honor of Ukraine’s Defenders Day on October 1.

The Ukrainian community is actively engaged to secure France’s support for Ukraine’s NATO membership, said Yuliia Shypunova, an AUF representative, in a comment to the My Ukraina (“We are Ukraine”) TV channel.

“AUF and UWC representatives regularly meet with French lawmakers, and most parties have already supported Ukraine, particularly on issues of weapons and recognizing Russia as a terrorist state. Only the far right and far left are outliers, but it’s just a matter of time,” she said.

The rally was also an opportunity to thank the French government for its support, added Kogutyak.

“Ukraine is currently the key battleground in the global struggle between democracy and authoritarianism. The West cannot afford to lose, and NATO must give a decisive response to make the world safer,” he said.

Earlier, the UWC once again called on NATO to extend an invitation to Kyiv to join the Alliance. In the current geopolitical climate, hesitation by some countries over Ukraine’s NATO membership is a vulnerability exploited by Moscow and its allies. This indecision undermines trust in the defense Alliance and emboldens its adversaries.