PARIS, July 11. /TASS/. The countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization will limit themselves to giving Kiev vague promises at the Vilnius summit, Edouard Husson, professor at Cergy-Pontoise University and editorial director of Le Courrier des Strateges monthly, told TASS.

"If Ukraine is not accepted into NATO, then what is left? Vague promises, the fulfillment of which will hinge on the situation in the combat zone. The obligations that the countries in the bloc will take on themselves will be of a token, perfunctory nature. This is dictated by uncertainty over Ukraine’s future; it is unclear what it will look like by the conflict’s end and which territories it will include," he noted.

Speaking of the stance taken by the US and Germany, which have come out against Ukraine’s fast-track accession to NATO, Husson noted that this highlights Washington and Berlin’s caution with regard to this issue, even though their approaches differ. "Ukraine’s accession to NATO would be an excessively risky game for the US, which, of course, does not want to unleash a war with Russia. As for Germany, it is trying not be left with nothing. It is telling itself that one fine day it will have to mend fences with Russia," he stressed.

Earlier, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Ukraine would not receive an invitation to NATO at the Vilnius summit, but it would be sent a strong signal that "NATO's door is open." He also said that NATO would approve a multi-year military support package for Ukraine that should be implemented regardless of the progress of the conflict with Russia.