Ukraine's accession to NATO will take place within country's 1991 borders
Olha Stefanishyna (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine will join the North Atlantic Alliance as a sovereign, independent country within its borders of 1991. No other options have been discussed, according to Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Olha Stefanishyna, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
When asked about joining NATO "in parts," meaning territories that Ukraine currently controls de facto, Stefanishyna said, "I do not believe that Ukraine should offer any solutions now until the allies propose Ukrainian membership in the Alliance."
According to her, Ukraine will listen to all allies and negotiate with each of the 32 NATO member states.
"We will never raise the issue of certain limitations or redistribution regarding NATO membership. Ukraine will join NATO within its 1991 borders, a sovereign, independent country," she said.
Stefanishyna explained that when the time comes to ratify the decision to admit Ukraine to NATO, Kyiv will communicate with everyone, and this process will be open and public. "But at this stage, no format has been created between Ukraine and the allies where such discussions can take place," she added.
In August 2024, an overwhelming majority of Ukrainians continue to show their unwillingness to meet Russia's demands to end the war.
According to a survey by the Democratic Initiatives Foundation and the Razumkov Center, only 9% of Ukrainians are willing to recognize the occupied territories as part of Russia to stop the war, while 81% consider this unacceptable.
Regarding future NATO membership, 18.5% of Ukrainians expressed willingness to compromise, but the majority (67%) find this unacceptable.
For the vast majority of Ukrainians, refusing EU membership is also unacceptable (71%), with only 17% willing to compromise.
