Work on Ukraine's accession to NATO should be carried out by joint efforts of Kiev and Western countries.

This was stated by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba.

“This is a two-way road.

It's like digging a tunnel under water - they start digging on both sides and meet at a certain point, ”Kuleba said on the air of the Ukraine 24 TV channel.

According to him, sometimes Western partners try to speed up the process, "as was the case in 2013, when they wanted to sign an association agreement, but the president (Viktor -

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) Yanukovych refused."

And sometimes, Kuleba noted, Kiev comes up with some ambitious ideas, and then the partners "react to them with restraint."

The minister said he rejects the idea that only one side needs to make an effort.

“I also reject the idea that only we have to do something, and the other side just sit and wait for us,” the head of Ukrainian diplomacy said.

  • Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba

  • Reuters

  • © Gleb Garanich

At the same time, he admitted that the issue of joining the EU and NATO is rather politicized and some countries were admitted to the alliance in advance, without meeting all the criteria for membership.

“Any decision consists of technical work and a political decision.

The question is which part is dominant in this cocktail.

When it comes to Ukraine's membership in NATO or the EU, the weight of the political component is much greater than the technical work, ”Kuleba stressed.

In his opinion, the process of European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine will accelerate only if all Western partners unanimously recognize the republic as part of their world.

“The key issue that the Ukrainian state must resolve in relations with the West, primarily with NATO and the EU, is simple and complex at the same time - the West must admit that Ukraine is part of the West, that it is not a rebellious province of the Russian world, a buffer zone, a middle space between the West and Russia, ”the Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized.

At the same time, experts believe that Ukraine is unlikely to ever succeed in achieving such recognition.

"The countries of the same Eastern Europe see Ukraine as some kind of bridgehead in front of Russia," said Vladimir Zharikhin, deputy director of the Institute of CIS Countries, in an interview with RT.

The head of the Bureau of Military-Political Analysis, Alexander Mikhailov, adheres to the same point of view.

In his opinion, Europe will never perceive Ukraine as a serious player.

“It is a buffer zone between Russia and the EU with NATO, so it will always be in the zone of Western geopolitical interests.

It is high time for the Ukrainian authorities to part with the illusions that they are expected in the West with open arms, "the analyst said in an interview with RT.

Endless path

Recall that cooperation between Kiev and the North Atlantic Alliance began after the collapse of the USSR and Ukraine's declaration of independence.

Thus, the country first joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council in 1991, and three years later - to the Partnership for Peace program.

Later, in 1997, the Ukrainian leadership signed a Charter on a Special Partnership with the bloc.

In the same years, the NATO-Ukraine Commission (KNU) was founded.

Almost ten years later, in 2008, at the summit in Bucharest, a decision was made on the fundamental possibility of Ukraine's joining NATO.

At the same time, after the coup d'etat in 2014, the Ukrainian authorities adopted a law in 2017, which enshrined plans to join NATO and the EU in state policy.

They were also fixed in the Constitution of the Republic in 2019.

And only in the summer of 2020, the alliance offered Ukraine the status of a member of the NATO Expanded Opportunities Partnership.

As Vladimir Zharikhin explained to RT, this status does not mean that NATO countries will help Ukraine solve its problems.

"At the same time, he does not guarantee that Western countries will solve Kiev's problems and reclaim disputed territories for it," he added.

Analysts emphasize that the next logical step was to provide Ukraine with the NATO Membership Action Plan, which prepares candidates for joining the alliance.

However, they are sure that such a prospect is unlikely in the near future.

“Ukraine will not be accepted into either the EU or NATO for at least the next 10 years, because joining the North Atlantic Alliance will oblige the alliance members themselves too much in relation to Ukraine, including in the issue of communication with Russia,” said Alexander Mikhailov.

So, he pointed out, the same Donbass will become a point of contact no longer between Russia and Ukraine, but between Russia and NATO, and, accordingly, the level of rhetoric will already be hot, which the bloc and the new administration of US President Joe Biden do not need.

“In addition, given that Ukraine’s economy is in a bad state, European countries are not going to invest 2% of GDP for it for NATO membership,” Mikhailov added.

At the level of conversations

Despite this, conversations in Kiev's ruling circles about joining NATO have recently intensified. In particular, on July 23, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky put into effect the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) on measures to integrate the country into NATO. The document states that preparing the country for joining NATO is the most important state task. In this regard, steps are being taken such as the development of a system for the transition of the security and defense sector to the standards of the bloc, the organization of an exchange of experience with the alliance to counter the hybrid war that Russia is allegedly waging, the development of proposals to simplify border and customs control for military and civilian personnel of foreign units. arriving in Ukraine legally, and others.

In addition, the NSDC on July 30 approved a new foreign policy strategy.

It identifies six priority areas, including the course towards membership in the EU and NATO, countering the "aggressive policy of Russia" and promoting a positive image of Ukraine in the world.

  • Joint exercises of the USA and Ukraine

  • Reuters

  • © Gleb Garanich

Meanwhile, NATO is in no hurry to give Ukraine a place in the alliance.

In particular, the representative of the German Cabinet of Ministers Ulrike Demmer said in April that further steps for her membership are not currently envisaged.

German Ambassador to Ukraine Anka Feldgusen adheres to the same point of view, stating that the country's accession to the bloc slows down the conflict in the southeast, which could become a pretext for a military confrontation with Russia.

“Because one of the advantages of NATO is Article 5 of the Washington Treaty (an article on collective defense, which stipulates that in the event of an attack on one of the members of the alliance, all allies will defend it. -

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).

And everyone is afraid to be in a direct war with Russia, ”she said in an interview with the Ukrainian edition of the Mirror of the Week.

In turn, the British Ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons believes that the invitation to the bloc still does not come due to the lack of progress in the country's institutional reforms.

“With Ukraine's involvement, its participation in NATO operations, everything is fine, and progress is obvious.

But with regard to the institutional reforms that membership requires, much work remains - in some areas more than others.

One is defense institutional reform, ”Simmons told BBC Ukraine on August 9.

In June, the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance Jens Stoltenberg himself stated that Kiev was not doing enough in the area of ​​reforms.

“We have various programs to strengthen ethical foundations, which are largely devoted to the fight against corruption as part of the reforms ... which Ukraine has already begun, but we need more.

We with them (with the Ukrainians. -

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) need to do more to ensure their full implementation, "- quoted the Defense News publication of Stoltenberg's message.

In addition, he pointed out, in order to agree on a Membership Action Plan (MAP), a consensus of all 30 Allied countries is needed.

  • NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

  • Reuters

  • © Kenzo Tribouillard

Alexander Mikhailov noted the fairness of his remarks about the lack of progress in the field of Ukrainian reforms.

According to him, nothing has happened in the country over the past seven years that would indicate any economic growth or an increase in the social security of citizens.

And in Kiev itself, they are well aware of this, in connection with which they are trying to distract the people with loud statements and large-scale plans, the expert is sure.

“In Kiev they understand that people need to be“ fed ”with something, therefore they are engaged in this kind of propaganda.

These statements are designed primarily for domestic consumption, so that the population believes that someday Ukraine will join NATO and all the country's internal problems will be resolved, ”Mikhailov said.

However, as Vladimir Zharikhin pointed out, the West in making final decisions on Ukraine will primarily proceed from its own interests, and their list does not include the prospect of a military confrontation with Russia.

“The countries of Europe live in the real world and see the real balance of power.

Undoubtedly, NATO countries will take into account the opinion of Russia, and not Ukraine, because it is stronger, more important, and, if necessary, can create much more problems for Western Europe than Kiev's claims, ”Zharikhin summed up.