Ukraine's NATO membership should be 'logical step,' Czech military chief says
Photo: Karel Řehka (nato.int)
Ukraine’s accession to NATO should become the next "logical step." A political consensus must be formed in the near future to make it possible, stated Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Army, General Karel Řehka, Politico reports.
The Czech military official emphasized the importance of Kyiv’s Euro-Atlantic integration. According to him, Ukraine has already demonstrated its significance for the overall security system.
"Ukraine is not just a security consumer, it's also a security provider," the Czech military chief said.
At the same time, Řehka acknowledged that reaching a final decision would not be easy because of political factors.
"I'm not saying it's easy. At the end of the day, it's about political consensus, but I think that's the direction we should be heading to," he stated.
Politico notes that Ukraine has long sought NATO membership but has faced resistance from Germany and the United States, even under former US President Joe Biden’s administration.
The issue has almost completely disappeared from the agenda since Donald Trump returned to the White House.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte recently said that the issue of Ukraine’s membership in the alliance is unlikely to be resolved in the short term. According to him, the reason is the lack of political agreement among allies.
Rutte has also stressed that Russia has no veto power over Ukraine’s accession to NATO, despite the Kremlin’s attempts to influence the process through peace agreements.
Ukraine’s Ambassador to NATO, Alyona Getmanchuk, recently stated that the number of alliance members opposing Ukraine’s accession is now the lowest in history.
