Ukraine admits no potential to join NATO anytime soon
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has said that he doesn’t see how NATO might change its stance on Kiev’s accession to the bloc in the near future.
“Ukraine still pursues Euro-Atlantic integration, but I do not see the potential in the near future for NATO to change its position in a way the European Union did, and to take concrete steps to ensure Ukraine's accession to the alliance," he told local media.
Kuleba noted that while the EU has radically altered its stance on Ukraine’s membership after Russia began its military offensive, NATO is still dwelling “in a pre-conflict world” despite having opened its doors to Kiev in 2008.
“As of February 24, NATO had an edge over the EU in this respect, because it had a decision on Ukraine eventually becoming a member of the alliance… Over the past four months, the EU outpaced NATO, taking the process to the second stage, while the alliance is standing still,” he said.
In late June, the EU granted candidate status to Ukraine, although, according to various European leaders, it might take Kiev decades to finally join the bloc, considering that it has to enforce a slew of economic, democratic and anti-corruption reforms.
At the same time, Ukraine’s prospects of becoming a NATO member look even bleaker, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky saying in mid-March that Kiev should accept this reality.
“Ukraine is not a member of NATO. We understand that. We have heard for years that the doors were open, but we also heard that we could not join. It’s a truth and it must be recognized,” the president conceded at the time.
