Ukraine’s course toward joining the North Atlantic Alliance remains unchanged, while Ambassador Valerii Zaluzhnyi’s words regarding the prospects for membership were taken out of context. This was stated by Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi in a comment to journalists, reports UNN.
The ambassador’s words regarding Ukraine’s prospects for NATO membership were taken out of context and caused a stir, although the full quote primarily referred to the JEF, not NATO. This is logical, since the United Kingdom is the framework nation and leader of the JEF. As for joining NATO, this area is handled by Ukraine’s Mission to NATO. To prevent manipulation, I will reiterate our longstanding official position: Ukraine’s course toward joining the North Atlantic Alliance remains unchanged. As of today, there is no other effective collective security system apart from the one based on the Washington Treaty
Official Kyiv is convinced that there is no alternative to Ukraine’s NATO membership if the allies seek to ensure guaranteed security and peace in the Euro-Atlantic area.
The security architecture in Europe is impossible without Ukraine — that is a reality. Recognizing this will contribute to building consensus within the Alliance regarding our country’s membership. And this recognition is growing. Evidence of this is this year’s final document of the NATO Summit in Ankara, where Ukraine was recognized as a contributor to Euro-Atlantic security
Let us recall
Earlier, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom Valerii Zaluzhnyi stated that his country would never become a member of NATO. He believes that Kyiv should focus on developing other security mechanisms and military cooperation.