US reportedly opposes Zelensky's invitation to June NATO summit in The Hague

The United States is opposing President Volodymyr Zelensky's participation at the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague, Italy's ANSA news agency reported on May 14, citing unnamed diplomatic sources.  

If confirmed, the decision would mark the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion that Zelensky is absent, either physically or virtually, from a NATO summit.

The Ukrainian president has attended every NATO summit since February 2022: in person in 2024 in Washington and 2023 in Vilnius, and virtually in 2022.

According to ANSA, almost all allies have expressed surprise to Washington over this move.

One Dutch official told the NOS broadcaster that denying Zelensky a seat at the table would be "a diplomatic disaster for the Netherlands that no speaker could justify."

NATO foreign ministers are expected to meet informally in Antalya on May 14, where the issue could surface despite the session being designated as non-decision-making.

The summit agenda itself remains limited, reportedly to avoid controversy with U.S. President Donald Trump. According to ANSA, the Netherlands has scaled down the format to a single session focused on defense spending and alliance capabilities.

Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO members for not meeting the alliance's 2% of GDP defense spending benchmark and has pushed for it to be raised to 5%.

NOS sources noted the summit is still six weeks away and the decision to bar Zelensky could still be reversed.