Deputy Prime Minister-Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanishyna emphasized that the issue of Ukraine's membership in NATO was determined by the allies "irreversibly". Consideration of options for Ukraine's accession to the Alliance is possible only after receiving an invitation.
Points of attention
- Ukraine does not consider the hybrid option of joining NATO until receiving an offer from the allies and plans to conduct open negotiations on this topic.
- Ukraine has successfully created its own structures within NATO, including a military assistance coordination mission.
- Kyiv's communication with everyone regarding the ratification of the decision on Ukraine's accession to NATO takes place openly and publicly.
The issue of Ukraine's membership in NATO is not removed from the agenda
Stefanyshyn assured that the issue of Ukraine's membership in NATO will not be removed from the agenda, because the allies themselves have determined that this path is irreversible.
And the issue of Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations has always been on the agenda at all meetings at all levels with colleagues from the USA, and this will not change from the Ukrainian side. I believe that the issue of inviting Ukraine to NATO is in itself an element of deterring Russian aggression.
Olga Stefanishyna
Deputy Prime Minister-Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration
The new Secretary General of NATO takes office on October 1, and his first visit to Ukraine will certainly be devoted to a political decision, Stefanyshyn said.
I want to draw your attention to the fact that after a country is invited to NATO, the accession protocols are ratified. It should be 32 decisions of the parliament or government or president of each country. And we saw this process for Sweden, for Finland. Finland passed it in one go, it's such a Finnish miracle, but Sweden had to implement a number of very difficult decisions on the way to this ratification, and not only regarding changes to legislation.
An invitation is a serious intention to talk about the future. And, of course, we do not remove this issue from the agenda, and just as the president says, it will be on the agenda as long as it is necessary to make a decision.
But equally, an invitation is a decision that can be made at any time, regardless of the summit.
How Ukraine managed to strengthen its own presence in NATO structures
According to the vice-prime minister, Ukraine has already managed to create its own structures within NATO.
When we talk about the results of the Washington Summit, it is a great success for Ukraine, because we have created two structures within NATO. First, it is within the framework of the European military command that a NATO mission was created to coordinate military aid, support, and training. Informally, it is called NATO Ukraine Command, that is, it is a unit in the military part of the NATO structure. This is a structure that is being created within NATO to coordinate the work of the Allies and to reinforce the Ramstein format. That is, in fact, any political decision that we are moving towards or that we are calling for will now be worked out within the framework of the existing structure. That is, we actually have a department of Ukraine in NATO, - emphasizes Stefanyshyna.
Is a "hybrid version" of Ukraine's accession to NATO possible?
Stefanyshyn spoke about the difficult debatable issue of the so-called "hybrid option" of Ukraine joining NATO, when the Alliance's guarantees will be extended, for example, to the territory controlled by Ukraine de facto.
I do not believe that Ukraine should offer any solutions now before the Allies have offered Ukrainian membership in the Alliance. Ukraine will listen to all allies, will conduct negotiations with each of the 32 NATO member states. We will never ask questions about certain restrictions or redistribution in the matter of NATO membership.
There is a sovereign Ukraine within the borders of 1991. an independent country that joins NATO. At the stage when it will be about the ratification of the decision on Ukraine's accession to NATO, we will communicate with everyone, and this process will be open, public, but at this stage, no format has been created between Ukraine and the allies where such discussions can take place. Stefanishyna assured.
