Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented on the words of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Kiev is waiting for an invitation to NATO and does not intend to ask for it.
Earlier, the head of state said that Ukraine deserves to be a full member of the alliance “among powerful countries.” He added that in relations with NATO, Kiev has chosen the policy of a welcome guest
As noted by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba, Kiev expects to receive an action plan for NATO membership in 2022.
On Monday, the leaders of the organization at a summit in Brussels supported the right of Ukraine and Georgia to join. They stressed that potential members need to continue reforms, but did not name a timeline for their possible entry into the alliance. Kiev hopes that this is “not the final answer,” and is waiting for more specifics about the prospects for NATO after the meeting of US President Joe Biden with Vladimir Putin.
The Verkhovna Rada in December 2014 renounced the non-aligned status of the Ukrainian state. In June 2016, joining NATO was made the goal of the country’s foreign policy. At the same time, former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen previously emphasized that in order to join the alliance, Kiev will need to achieve criteria that will take a lot of time to implement. Experts believe that Ukraine will not be able to apply for NATO membership in the next 20 years.