The Office of the President of Ukraine hopes by the end of this year "to come up with substantial documents" in relations with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
That’s according to the adviser to the head of the President's Office, Mykhailo Podolyak, who spoke with Ukraine 24 TV channel.
In particular, he was asked whether it is realistic for Ukraine to get the Membership Action Plan by year-end.
"There is such possibility. We have very warm relations with many countries that are already members of the NATO bloc, and with the NATO bloc itself as an institution. Of course, we must do our job, that is, we must perform some actions, including of a legal, and logistic nature, which should emphasize our ability to enter the NATO bloc on equal terms. That is, we must play a significant role there," Podolyak said.
Read alsoNATO defense chiefs call on Ukraine to pursue reformAt the same time, the official added, Ukraine enjoys support coming from all structures within the Alliance and from many NATO Allies.
"I think that by the end of this year we will definitely come up with significant documents," Podolyak said.
Ukraine-NATO: Background
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview for Axios on HBO that Ukraine wants to be an equal member of NATO. "We are grateful for everything, but Ukraine is not just saying in words that it wants to be an equal member of the Alliance, an equal member of NATO, because this is one of the most important security points – the same security that President [of the United States Joe] Biden is speaking about. How should we further state the desire to accede, if it is enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine – the movement towards the European Union, European integration, as well as accession to NATO? Therefore, I have a very simple question – why is Ukraine still not in NATO? Putting away these phrases that we will all contemplate and communicate, the first simple question from me would be: 'Mr. President, why are we not in NATO yet?'" he said then.
Zelensky expressed hope that during Biden's presidency, Ukraine and the United States would enter a new stage of security enhancing relations.
On February 9, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine needed to focus on reform to get closer to NATO, whose "door remains open", including to strengthen democratic institutions, fight corruption, and introduce democratic political control over the Armed Forces.
At the same time, on February 17, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on NATO Allies not to keep the decision to provide a Membership Action Plan to Ukraine "hostage" of Russian myths about eastward expansion.
Ukraine officials have been left confused after learning the country's delegation has not been invited to an upcoming NATO summit amid ongoing Russian aggression targeting the country, Dmytro Kuleba said earlier this week.
Also, Kuleba said that the open door policy of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization should not turn into a "policy of promise feeding."
