"We are not yet a NATO country de jure, but we are already becoming one de facto" - Reznikov on NATO-Ukraine Council
Ukraine will be able to address issues at the same table as NATO members through the NATO-Ukraine Council. Legally, Ukraine is not yet a NATO member, but in fact it is getting closer to this status.
Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov said this during the telethon, reports Censor.NЕТ with reference to Ukrinform.
"There are 31 NATO member states at the table today, and Finland has been added. I hope that Sweden will also be present in Vilnius, which will make 32 countries. So if, and I believe that the NATO-Ukraine Council will start working, it means that there will be 33 countries at the table: 32 full members of NATO and a member of the Council, Ukraine, which has the right to raise issues, discuss them, put them on the agenda, participate in various subcommittees. This is practically what I always say: we are not yet a NATO country de jure, but we are already becoming one de facto," Reznikov emphasized.
He also noted that today there has been a shift in the attitude of international partners towards Ukraine.
"We are already perceived as a full-fledged subjective participant in European politics at a minimum and Euro-Atlantic politics at a maximum. We have our own subjectivity today," Reznikov said, adding that Ukraine is now treated not just as an equal, but with a certain amount of respect because it has inspired the whole world with its resistance.
Commenting on NATO's strategy, Reznikov noted that the main threat to the Alliance is the Russian Federation for the next 10 years.
"Ukraine is the only country in the world that has practical experience of resistance and victory using NATO-standard technologies and weapons. Therefore, it is in our common interest to unite with Ukraine in this collective security architecture. Our experience of application, their technologies, their training systems, and all this is included in the single word "interoperability". This is beneficial to both sides in the security sense," the minister said.
Reznikov also noted that Ukraine should start creating the army of the future now.
"When we become a member of the Alliance is one story, and the army of the future is a parallel but slightly different story. We have to develop our army of the future today, think about what it will be like tomorrow. I have no doubt that we will win this war, I believe in it. My faith is based on facts, like a lawyer's. I understand our capabilities and those of our partners. This war is a war of resources, a war of capabilities. Today we have allies in the form of the Ramstein Club with their capabilities and resources, so we will definitely win," he said.
He added that Russia will remain an unfriendly neighbor for a long time, and to prevent it from being tempted to retaliate after defeat, Ukraine must develop its defense forces.
"We need to prepare for the future war, which we will not allow. Our task is to build the Defense Forces so that the future war does not happen, so that they are afraid to attack us. And I am convinced that our advantage will remain exactly in what we already have today - we have interoperability, participation, incomplete, but already in the collective security system. Collective security gives an advantage. That is why I believe that the Ukrainian army of the future will be part of the civilized world, the European and Euro-Atlantic community," Reznikov emphasized.
He also stated that all NATO members support Ukraine's accession to the Alliance. But discussions about the timing of Ukraine's future membership and the decision of the Vilnius summit are still ongoing.
