Ukraine has received assurances that the countries participating in the NATO summit in Vilnius are determined to fulfill their promises to it.
This was stated by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in an interview with Radio Liberty.
According to the foreign minister, although Kyiv received the prospect of a Membership Action Plan, not the MAP itself, at the 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest, "no one actually planned to fulfill this promise."
"All of them assure me that 'Dmytro, we understand your feelings, but we are convinced that there will be no repetition of Bucharest...this time we are determined to fulfill the promises we made to you,'" Kuleba said.
"I say: well, it's all great, of course, but, as they say, it's not for sale. That is, you cannot go out and tell people: I was promised at the meeting that this time it will be different," he also shared conversations on the sidelines of the summit.
The foreign minister added that discussions are currently underway between the allies regarding Ukraine's future membership, the essence of which does not reflect the wording: "to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the Alliance when its members agree and the conditions are met."
"This is exactly the fly in the ointment that spoils the barrel of honey. But we will work. Today we have already talked about how to implement today's decision so that the path to NATO does not take many years," Kuleba summarized.
Author - Olena Madiak, 12/07/2023