Ukraine is unlikely to become a NATO member by the end of the war

Member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence, Presidential Representative in the Verkhovna Rada Fedir Venislavsky believes that the decision on Ukraine's membership in NATO will not be made until the end of the war.

According to an Ukrinform correspondent, he said this on the air of the United News telethon.

"The level of assessment of our Armed Forces by the international military expert community is very high, and only the military-political issue remains. We have to be realistic. I think it is unlikely that a decision (on Ukraine's membership in NATO) will be made before the war is over, although we would like to and such options are being considered. We hope so, but the reality hardly allows us to be so optimistic. At the same time, neither we nor anyone else in the world, even the Russians, seems to have any doubts about Ukraine's future in NATO," Venislavsky said.

He added that more specific bilateral or multilateral decisions on Ukraine's closer integration into NATO structures could be made during the July summit in Vilnius.

According to Venislavsky, Ukraine is already working with NATO member states at various levels, including those countries that are skeptical about Ukraine's future membership in the alliance. He emphasized that when Ukraine is able to raise a specific question about joining NATO, the decision will be made very quickly.

He also noted that Ukraine already has a number of agreements with various countries on security guarantees in the future. Venislavsky believes that these guarantees will not prevent Ukraine from joining the alliance.

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 29/05/2023