No say for Russia in Ukraine’s NATO accession, Kyiv insists
NATO (Photo:REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo)
Ukraine rejects the idea that Moscow would ultimately have to approve Kyiv’s bid for NATO membership, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said in a Facebook post on April 24.
In a recent interview with Russian propaganda outlet Izvestia, Dora Duro, the Hungarian Parliament's deputy speaker, said that Ukraine's entry into NATO would only be possible if it’s endorsed by Moscow.
Nikolenko emphasized that Ukraine does not need permission from Russia to become a member of the alliance and has the sovereign right to freely choose its security means – as repeatedly confirmed by all NATO member states, including Hungary.
Nikolenko criticized Hungarian politicians who seek to make Euro-Atlantic regional security dependent on Moscow's wishes.
"There are no valid reasons to prevent Ukraine's NATO membership; admitting Ukraine will only strengthen the Alliance and prevent Russia's future aggression in Europe," he wrote on Facebook.
According to Duro, Budapest sees no circumstances that would allow for the support of NATO expansion by admitting Ukraine to the bloc.
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