Ukrainian Foreign Minister Says Kiev Must Join NATO Without Membership Action Plan

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Says Kiev Must Join NATO Without Membership Action Plan

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Ukraine should join NATO without a Membership Action Plan (MAP), which has outlived its usefulness

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd June, 2023) Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Ukraine should join NATO without a Membership Action Plan (MAP), which has outlived its usefulness.

MAP should no longer be a part of the membership process and should not be applied to Ukraine, Kuleba said at a joint briefing with Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna in Kiev.

At the same time, Kiev understands that Ukraine is not a NATO member and cannot dictate decisions to the alliance, he said. However, Ukraine still has the right to fight for Euro-Atlantic security, the minister noted. Kuleba further claimed it was impossible to defend Euro-Atlantic space without Ukraine, adding that Kiev's membership in the alliance was inevitable.

In September 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine was applying to be fast-tracked to join NATO. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg reaffirmed the bloc's unchanged position on the right of each country to determine its own path and on its "open door" policy but noted that the alliance would concentrate its efforts on helping Ukraine defend itself.