Deputy PM: Ukraine Seeking Upgrade to NATO Membership

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Olha Stefanishyna, has said that Russia’s war on Ukraine has completely changed the security situation in the country. Accordingly, Kyiv is now only seeking fully-fledged NATO membership.

“Had we been offered the Membership Action Plan (MAP) before February 24, we would have been fully satisfied with the proposal that corresponds to our Constitution. And this would have been the right thing to do,” she said. “Today, however, a MAP would be the equivalent of the 2008 Bucharest Summit’s decision [the promise of eventual membership] .”

She added that the fact that Ukraine’s security and defense sector and other structures already meet NATO standards in many respects proves that Ukraine has effectively implemented many of the alliance’s standards.

Besides, Ukrainian soldiers are accumulating unique combat experience that none of the NATO member states possess.

Responding to the question as to whether Ukraine is ready to accept NATO membership only, Stefanishyna answered, “yes, membership only.”

“The only membership carrot that we are missing is Article 5 of the NATO Treaty. We are already doing everything else, and it doesn’t require the enlistment of high-profile politicians or ministers. We also communicate with NATO.  So, security guarantees-wise, only membership can truly change the situation,” she noted.

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Stefanishyna added that Ukraine will join NATO sooner or later, adding that she doesn’t deem it necessary to discuss Russia’s purported objection to Ukraine’s accession to the Alliance because negotiations with the Kremlin are in the distant future. And no one knows what they will look like.

“An attentive observer could have noticed that Russia stopped talking about NATO demands a while ago. The all-out war on Ukraine annulled all Russian narratives, including NATO as a threat, the protection of Russian speakers, and many other things the Alliance’s member states were afraid of, saying that one mustn’t provoke Russia. Therefore, we don’t take any Russian statements too seriously and are ready to resume the discussion on liberating our territories,” Stefanishyna added.