Don’t expect Ukraine to join NATO during war, - Alliance Representative Turner
As of now, relations between Ukraine and NATO are the strongest they have ever been. At the same time, it is not worth expecting Ukraine to join the Alliance during the war.
This was stated in an interview with Suspilne by Patrick Turner, Head of the NATO Representation in Ukraine, according to Censor.NET.
Relations between Ukraine and NATO
"Relations have become deeper, broader, and more extensive than ever before. NATO has had a presence in Ukraine for over 25 years, but now is the moment of most active cooperation. And this cooperation is extremely broad in nature. For over 20 years, Ukraine has been a key partner of NATO in conducting operations," he said.
According to the diplomat, NATO's office in Ukraine has a big team of defense experts who work with their Ukrainian counterparts in a wide range of areas to build interoperability between Ukraine and NATO.
Turner noted that NATO military personnel are borrowing Ukrainian combat experience, and cooperation with the Ukrainian defense industry is intensifying.
Ukraine's accession to the Alliance
At the same time, the diplomat stressed that Ukraine should not be expected to join NATO during the war.
"NATO has already stated that Ukraine is on an irreversible path to membership in the Alliance. This position remains unchanged. NATO leaders have said that Ukraine will become a member of the Alliance when conditions allow and when the allies agree. Therefore, I think we should not expect Ukraine to join NATO during the war," Turner stressed.
He added that discussions on NATO membership take place between Alliance members and the country concerned.
"This means that the only parties involved in this discussion will be NATO members and Ukraine, no other countries. Therefore, other countries have no right to veto this decision," the diplomat concluded.
