Ukraine has not yet reached the point of handing over to the country an action plan for membership in the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO). This was announced on Wednesday, January 26, by First Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman.
“Ukraine is working to show that it is ready to receive a membership action plan before it reaches that point,” Sherman said during a conference hosted by the Yalta European Strategy forum.
On January 23, former Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance Jaap de Hoop Scheffer announced that Ukraine would not become a member of NATO. According to him, the country will not join NATO either in the near future, or in the “indefinite”.
On January 22, American political commentator Ross Dautat noted that the United States needs to put off the idea of admitting Ukraine to NATO for several decades.
In his opinion, Ukraine is divided and economically weak, therefore it is not ready to fully become part of the West, and the United States has taken on impossible obligations, trying to bring the country out of the political orbit of Russia.
On January 17, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanishyna expressed her hope that NATO would take steps to admit the country to the alliance in the next 10 years. In her opinion, Ukraine’s entry into the alliance will become a means to curb Russia’s “aggressive aspirations”.
NATO made a political statement at its Bucharest summit in April 2008 that Ukraine and Georgia could eventually become members of the alliance, but refused to provide both countries with an action plan to prepare for membership, the first step in the country’s legal process of joining the organization. In February 2019, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved amendments to the constitution, fixing the country’s aspirations to join NATO. Ukraine also received the status of an organization’s partner with enhanced opportunities.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
