Kiev, 13 April 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called for Ukraine and Georgia to join NATO quickly at a conference in Bucharest on Thursday.

"The upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius is the right time to correct mistakes or the past by taking resolute steps forward on the path to Ukraine’s NATO membership," he said according to a statement from the Black Sea Security conference.

"To show that the door is not only open, but there is a clear plan on when and how Ukraine will enter it," he added.

A comprehensive security network must be worked out for all nations in the region that feel threatened by what Kuleba called the "maniac on the loose" - meaning Russia.

Kuleba could not join the conference in person, but participated online.

Kuleba also mentioned the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia. "It’s time to turn Black Sea into what the Baltic Sea has become: a sea of NATO," the diplomat stressed.

Of the Black Sea states, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey are already part of the Western military alliance.

The upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius is planned for July, with the war in Ukraine expected to be a core topic.

Part of Moscow's pretext for starting the war was due to Ukraine wanting to join NATO, meaning Ukraine's accession to NATO would be a landmark blow to Russia.