Monday, June 10, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko met in Kyiv with Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary General. After that, the President said that Ukraine, though not soon, but still intends to apply for membership in NATO.
Poroshenko said that the Ukrainian government first need to “build a real program of reforms, the programme of cooperation to strengthen efforts to achieve the required standards,” and, according to him, in this case Ukraine will need “assistance and cooperation with partners in NATO.”
In turn, Stoltenberg pledged that NATO would provide such assistance to Ukraine in the form of equipment for satellite communications. Equipment for the protection of Ukrainian computers from cyber-attacks had been delivered the other day, he added. At a joint press conference with Petro Poroshenko, NATO Secretary General also called on Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine.
Reforms that Poroshenko referred to, should happen in the field of defence, the fight against corruption, the Board and law enforcement. Their implementation will ensure Ukraine’s readiness to accept membership in NATO as early as 2020, said the President.
However, Poroshenko said that already invited the Alliance to start a conversation about grant Ukraine the action Plan on membership in NATO and the proposal of Ukraine “was accepted with pleasure.”
Russia, which has repeatedly criticized the idea of expansion of NATO in Eastern Europe, said that the prospect of Ukraine’s accession to NATO will contribute to stability and security in Europe, reports Reuters.
One of the obstacles to Ukraine’s accession to NATO is an unresolved conflict in the East of the country. According to the rules of the Alliance, the state must comply with the requirement of the resolution of any international disputes by peaceful means.
By the way, on Sunday Petro Poroshenko met in Kyiv with U.S. Secretary of state Rex Tillerson and the special representative of the US state Department in the negotiations with Ukraine with Kurt Volker.
It is noteworthy that from 2008 to 2009, Volker held the position of U.S. permanent representative to NATO. He previously supported the proposal to provide weapons to Ukraine and spoken for its membership in NATO.
