Ukraine would like to record the irreversibility of acquiring the status of a NATO member at the upcoming Summit of the alliance in Washington, which will be held on July 9-11, said the head of the Mission of Ukraine to NATO Nataliya Halibarenko.
“We would like (partner countries – IF-U) to record Ukraine’s irreversible path to NATO membership”, – said Halibarenko in an interview with Politico, posted on the website of the publication. “We are not asking for anything extraordinary,” she added.
Halibarenko confirmed that Kyiv does not aspire to join NATO immediately, admitting that it is problematic to accept a country that is at war with Russia and does not control its entire territory into the alliance. However, in anticipation of full membership, Ukraine wants additional commitments on air defense and security on both sides of the Atlantic.
According to her, Ukraine understands very well that the allies do not want to make any political decision regarding the invitation of Kyiv to join NATO during the war, so Ukraine does not seek immediate accession. “We strive to receive additional solutions on the issue of air defense. Ukraine would also like to see the alliance recognize the significant progress we have made in carrying out reforms,” the ambassador noted.
Halibarenko also emphasized that at the Summit, Ukraine would like to hear such formulations regarding membership, which would be a step forward in relation to the NATO Summit in Vilnius.
The publication notes that Halibarenko spoke at a time when dozens of foreign policy experts called on NATO not to take a lead in Ukraine at the Summit, warning that it would endanger the United States and its allies and lead to a breakup of the coalition. A group of experts argued that Ukraine’s admission to NATO would trigger collective defense under Article 5 of the alliance if Russia attacked Ukraine in the future. Halibarenko emphasized that Kyiv is well aware of the fears of NATO countries, so it is building its own structure on the basis of bilateral pacts with allied countries. “That is why we will continue to conclude bilateral security agreements,” said the ambassador.
