Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen presented the International Working Group on Security and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, which should facilitate Ukraine's movement towards the Alliance. This is reported on the website of the President of Ukraine, UNN writes.
The purpose of this new group is primarily to work with NATO member states, with the expert community, and the political environment to create an atmosphere that would help us move forward on this path. Ukraine has ambitious expectations for this year's NATO Washington Summit and the steps that would lead us to full membership,
Details
He noted that the process of concluding bilateral agreements on security commitments with the signatories to the G7 Vilnius Declaration is part of Ukraine's path to full membership in NATO.
According to Andriy Yermak, the system of security agreements creates specific obligations in case of possible aggressions in the future and will strengthen our defense capabilities, but only full membership in the Alliance will provide Ukraine with reliable security.
For his part, Anders Fogh Rasmussen noted that this working group will work on defining the conditions necessary for Ukraine to receive an invitation to join NATO and the timing of their implementation.
In his opinion, the statement that Ukraine cannot be invited to join the Alliance until the war is over is dangerous because it gives Russia an incentive to continue its aggression to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO. Conversely, inviting Ukraine to join the Alliance opens the way to peace.
The former NATO Secretary General emphasized that "gray" zones are zones of danger.
Ukraine is a bastion of defense against Russia. Ukraine now has a very strong army, and it can contribute to NATO and strengthen it greatly,
Recall
In July last year, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference after the Vilnius Summit that NATO leaders had decided to cancel Ukraine's Membership Action Plan. In addition, they supported a multi-year assistance program for Kyiv and the creation of a new NATO-Ukraine Council to replace the Commission.