After the victory, Ukraine's accession to NATO will be fast

The Ukrainian authorities want to hear about the concrete steps that both sides - NATO and Ukraine - should take to achieve membership in the Alliance in a very short period of time.

According to Ukrinform, Deputy Defense Minister Volodymyr Havrylov said this in an interview with Politico.

"We would like to hear a plan or a roadmap or a list of actions that both sides - NATO and Ukraine - should take to achieve membership (in the Alliance - ed.) in a very short period of time," he said.

While Gavrilov acknowledges that this will be impossible while the war is ongoing, "Ukraine must understand that after its victory, this process of joining the bloc will be very, very short."

According to him, Ukraine will negotiate a "system of security guarantees" with NATO during the transition period to membership.

According to the deputy defense minister, such guarantees should include the commitment of NATO countries to help Ukraine win the war; support for the Ukrainian economy; support for the continuation of sanctions, and other forms of pressure on Russia.

Asked about reports that China is selling drones to Russia, Havrylov said that it is only about "commercial drones."

"Yes, they continue to sell only ordinary commercial things to support the Russian economy. This is normal, and this is understandable, but we hope that they will keep their promise not to sell any weapons to Russia, like Iran. This is important. China also follows certain international sanctions against Russia, as does India. Therefore, when it comes to dual-use equipment, I think neither China nor India is interested in violating these kinds of sanctions because they are dependent on technology from Europe and the United States," Gavrilov said.

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 05/06/2023