‘After victory, Ukraine can simply say ‘We’re ready, we can join NATO tomorrow’ – German Ambassador
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, April 20, 2023 (Photo:REUTERS/Alina Yarysh)
Ukraine’s accession to NATO will be a political decision of all member states, not just Germany or the United States, German Ambassador to Ukraine Anka Feldhusen said in an interview with Radio NV on April 20.
She noted that there are countries in the Alliance that are more important militarily than Germany, especially the nuclear powers of the United Kingdom and France, as well as the United States and Turkey.
“It seems to me that Germany is indeed the largest industrial country in the European Union, but we don’t play the same role in NATO as in the EU,” she said.
“There are also other countries to talk with.”
Feldhusen stressed that Ukraine had demonstrated its military compatibility with NATO since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“Ukraine has shown that it can use the latest NATO technologies,” the envoy said.
“The command structure was very different from the Russian one, which was much more Soviet. Ukraine has shown that it’s already implementing the (NATO) standards on the battlefield. And that’s good.”
The diplomat added that Ukraine must also carry out political reforms to join NATO and the EU.
“It seems to me that one day, after the victory, Ukraine can simply say: ‘We’re ready. We can join NATO tomorrow,” Feldhusen said.
During a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Kyiv on April 20, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that there is “not a single objective barrier” that would prevent the adoption of political decisions to invite Ukraine to NATO.
“Security guarantees in no way replace or delay Ukraine’s membership in NATO,” Zelenskyy said.
Stoltenberg agreed, saying that Ukraine’s rightful place in NATO.
As many as 82% of Ukrainians support Ukraine’s accession to NATO, if a referendum were held today, according to a poll conducted by Center for Insights in Survey Research (CISR) for the International Republican Institute (IRI) published on March 22.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba previously said that at the NATO Summit in Vilnius in July, Kyiv would categorically not accept a continuation of NATO’s “open doors” policy toward Ukraine in place since 2008.
We’re bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
