Ukraine to join NATO, but can't wait another 75 years: Ukrainian Foreign Minister
Photo: Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The promise of Ukraine's NATO membership must be fulfilled. But we cannot wait another 75 years to celebrate accession; this must happen in the foreseeable future, states the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, on CNN.
"We will be entirely happy only when Ukraine becomes a member of NATO. And the promise of this will be fulfilled. We heard very reassuring messages over the past two days, that the path to membership is irreversible, that Ukraine will be in NATO. But we cannot wait another 75 years to celebrate Ukraine's accession. It has to happen sooner rather than later. Because this is the only way to ensure strategic security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic srea," the minister stated.
According to him, at the NATO summit in Washington, Ukraine heard promises regarding additional military assistance, particularly in terms of air defense systems, as well as the allies' decision that Ukraine's path to the alliance is "irreversible."
Kuleba also emphasized the importance of ensuring Ukrainian forces have an adequate amount of weaponry to hold their positions.
Ukraine's path to NATO
At the NATO summit in Washington, held from July 9 to 11, Ukraine did not receive an invitation to join the Alliance. However, in the final communiqué, the allies noted that Ukraine's path to the bloc is "irreversible."
At the same time, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed hope that Ukraine would join the Alliance within the next 10 years.
Moreover, the White House stated that for Ukraine to join, it must first win the war with Russia. A similar stance was expressed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who believes that Ukraine will not be accepted into the Alliance during the war.
