Eastern and Western countries of Europe, members of NATO, assess the prospect of Ukraine’s entry into the alliance differently, the Politico newspaper writes.
The states on the bloc’s eastern flank are offering to give Kyiv a “clear signal” about NATO’s entry at the upcoming Vilnius summit in July. Kyiv also asks for the same.
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky, in a conversation with Politico, stressed that he has “his own wish list” for the summit: the inclusion of Sweden in the alliance and an invitation for Ukraine. However, according to the politician, for the 31 members of the bloc “this is a difficult issue.”
At the same time, the countries of Western Europe insist that the discussion of Kyiv’s membership should be postponed until the end of hostilities. At the same time, they allow the expansion of cooperation between Ukraine and NATO.
Among the possible options for the alliance’s actions, the newspaper names the adoption of a declaration on Ukraine at the summit or the creation of a new Ukraine-NATO council. In addition, the block is ready to expand the provision of assistance to Kyiv to improve the armed forces and move away from Soviet standards.
Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanishyna, in a conversation with Politico, said that it is unacceptable for Kyiv to remain “in the same place” on the issue of joining NATO, where it is now. She added that Ukraine is waiting for an agreement in principle on the issue of its membership from all countries of the bloc.
Source: Rosbalt
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