Ukraine has successfully fulfilled all prerequisites for joining NATO

Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that Ukraine expects to receive guarantees at the July NATO summit in Vilnius that it will be invited to join the Alliance after the war with Russia ends, as it has successfully fulfilled all three prerequisites.

He said this in an interview with The Guardian, Ukrinform reports.

"In Vilnius, the heads of state and government of NATO member states will have the opportunity to correct Bucharest's mistake of 2008 and demonstrate responsible leadership by meeting our expectations. This will show Russia that its influence must end at its borders, and further aggression will only accelerate the collapse of the terrorist state," he said.

"We are realists and do not demand the impossible. That is why our expectations from the NATO Summit in Vilnius are very realistic: to receive a guarantee of an invitation to join NATO after Ukraine's victory in the war. We are ready to immediately sign the accession protocol to start the ratification and final accession procedure," Reznikov emphasized.

He noted that the three key prerequisites for NATO membership are interoperability with NATO forces, a transparent procurement system, and civilian control over the armed forces. "To date, Ukraine has successfully fulfilled all three prerequisites," the minister said.

According to him, strengthening NATO's eastern flank is in the Alliance's interest, as Russia will remain a threat for the foreseeable future.

"Given Russia's aggressive stance, which will not change in the near future, it is in NATO's interest to strengthen and reinforce its eastern flank. Today, Ukraine already serves as a protective shield for NATO's Eastern European members. If this shield cracks, the Baltic states, Poland, Hungary or Slovakia could become the next victims of Russian aggression," Reznikov emphasized.

He emphasized that he has no doubt that it is in NATO's interest that Ukraine's combat experience (using standard NATO weapons systems against the Russian army) is fully available to NATO countries.

Reznikov emphasized that Ukrainians are well aware of the weak position that Ukraine found itself in after signing the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, according to which the country gave up its nuclear arsenal in exchange for commitments by the United States, Russia, and the United Kingdom to respect Ukraine's independence and sovereignty and existing borders.

"It is important that today the support of the Ukrainian people for our NATO membership is at a historically unprecedented level - a record high 83%. Not least because since 2014, we have seen with our own eyes the devastating impact of the failure of the Budapest Memorandum," he said.

That is why, according to the Defense Minister, Ukraine's membership in NATO is perceived by the vast majority of Ukrainians as the only possible effective form of security guarantee for a peaceful future. "And that is why Ukraine's membership in the Alliance, as well as our territorial integrity, are not subject to discussion," he summarized.

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 29/06/2023