However, she hinted that the situation may change, recalling that when our country submitted an application for joining the European Union, there were also “different forecasts”.
during the new meeting of the defense ministers of the Alliance in Ramstein, which should take place on October 12-13, the discussion of the future membership of Ukraine may begin. This is reported by Lb.ua, referring to the words of Halibarenko during the last briefing.
According to her, Ukraine has previously discussed plans to apply for NATO membership with the countries of the bloc. As a result, Kyiv chose the option “without MAP”.
“The reaction in Brussels was expected (to Ukraine's application to join NATO, – ed.). This reaction somewhat echoes what the Secretary General said at the press conference about the open doors of the Alliance and our sovereign right to apply. As soon as we meet the criteria, they will be happy to see us as a member of the organization,” Halibarenko said.
Currently all international colleagues emphasize the need to establish peace in Ukraine, the ambassador noted. Allegedly, only after that the chances of our country joining the Alliance will be real.
“Most of my colleagues say that it is possible to speak more realistically about the concrete chances of accession after the war is over. I will not dramatize the situation too much, because we must be honest. When Ukraine applied for candidacy (in the EU), there were also different forecasts. Many skeptics said that it is better for Ukraine to forget about it. But we got the candidacy. Therefore, it is also better to talk about the necessary steps that should be taken to build a consensus with NATO regarding our aspiration. In fact, it did not become a big deal for anyone surprise (applying for membership). Since the countries knew about our aspiration. But we discussed different options. So the fact that we chose this option, decided to bypass the MAP stage, to immediately apply for membership, as Sweden and Finland did, is one from the scenarios that everyone was expecting,” she noted.
Galibarenko added that the nine countries that have already expressed their support for our country's desire to become a member of NATO are “the nucleus that himself supported Ukraine at the beginning”.
“Skeptic countries are also well-known. There are no big surprises here. The only question is that the actual submission of the application is also our reaction to the dynamic change of events. I hope that our allies also realize this. And it is a normal practice to change their position when you see a change in circumstances. Strategically, we have always said that we will join NATO. Now this is the tactic chosen by the state leadership,” she explained.
The next step is the discussion of the application by NATO member countries, each from which she should voice her position.
“Now the discussion regarding our membership has, in fact, acquired a formalized character. Previously, these were informal discussions that we conducted somewhere on the sidelines. The question was not officially raised. Now the discussion will take place within the North Atlantic Council at different levels. The first discussion will be at the level of ambassadors The second is within the limits of the defense ministers, which I do not rule out,” the ambassador added.
Read also: Pinchuk: Terrible past and dangerous present oblige NATO not to turn away from Ukraine's application
< p>Let us remind you that on September 30, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine submits an application for membership in NATO in an accelerated manner. Our state's initiative was supported by Canada and the Baltic states, however the Alliance itself limited itself to a “ritual” response. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg dryly described how countries join the Alliance without clarifying whether Kyiv will be able to use this procedure.
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< span>As of October 4, it is known about nine states that support our entry into NATO. There is also a country that is against this – Bulgaria.
See special topic: Zelensky invited the future premier of Italy to Kyiv The president thanked Italy for its defense support. OK “South” confirmed the liberation of eight settlements of the Kherson region (map) The operational command reported which settlements were liberated. Russia threatens the US with war over aid to Ukraine Additional HIMARS give the invaders a good scare. Zelensky noted the successes of the Armed Forces in the southern direction Dozens of settlements have already been liberated in the Kherson region. The British Defense Minister called the war in Ukraine a “wake-up call” for NATO The minister called on NATO countries to help Ukraine more.
