BRUSSELS — NATO is expected to make a decision regarding Ukraine’s membership in the alliance’s Enhanced Opportunity Partnership program in October, as the country’s Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk asserted on Feb. 13.
“Ukraine has reached considerable progress in introducing the alliance’s standards, and it now meets the military criteria of joining the program,” the minister said following meetings with NATO defense ministers and leadership at NATO Headquarters in Brussels.
“We are ready and there’s a fine window of opportunity.”
The Enhanced Opportunity Partners program was initially put into practice after NATO’s 2014 Wales summit, following which five non-alliance members, namely Australia, Finland, Georgia, Jordan, and Sweden, joined the initiative.
The program particularly envisages deeper cooperation with NATO in terms of security consultations, access to interoperability programs, exercises, and information.
Ukraine initially requested membership in the program in 2016, and it confirmed its intention to become an Enhanced Opportunity partner in early 2020. By confirming its request, Ukraine stated it wanted to acquire the membership throughout 2020.
According to the minister, this will make Ukraine’s cooperation with the alliance more effective.
“(Our partners in NATO) understand this, too, and that is why they support us,” the minister said during a press conference with a Ukrainian press pool at NATO. “EOP has a whole range of advantages for us.”
Ukraine’s membership in EOP was the central issue for his meetings with NATO leaders and defense ministers in Brussels on Feb. 12-13.
“During multilateral meetings (in Brussels), a huge number of nations immediately supported us, some stated they would support us basing on implemented reforms, and we will continue working with the rest of them regarding this issue.”
The minister, however, declined to specify which NATO member nations do not currently endorse the Ukrainian request.
Earlier, on Feb. 11, the United States envoy to NATO Kay Hutchinson also asserted that the U.S. fully supports EOP for Ukraine.
“I think there is wide approval of that in NATO as well,” she said during a press conference at NATO central office.
“We have asked for reforms in Ukraine so that they would have civilian control of their military. We support (Ukraine’s President Volodymyr) Zelensky’s efforts in that regard and we will continue to work with them as they solidify their democracy and instill the anticorruption measures that have been introduced by president Zelensky.”
