Top diplomat comments on Ukraine's accession to NATO “Fact should be formalised”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said that Ukraine has become an integral and significant part of the NATO security system.

“It is necessary to formalise what has long been a fact,” Kuleba said in an interview with Denik.cz.

“Ukraine is already a de facto security donor for the entire NATO. We are defending the Euro-Atlantic space and becoming the most powerful military force on NATO's eastern flank,” he said.

The foreign minister added that it is difficult to imagine an effective defence of Euro-Atlantic security without Ukraine, its military potential, a strong and experienced army, the Ukrainian military-industrial complex and the country's strategic position.

“We are convinced that it is necessary to formalise as soon as possible what has long been a fact. Ukraine is an integral and significant part of the Euro-Atlantic community, which greatly strengthens NATO’s collective and defence capabilities,” the minister said.

Kuleba noted that full membership in NATO "will open up new opportunities for Ukraine and its member states".

He noted that Ukraine's accession to NATO is a parallel path and such a decision should be made separately from accession to the EU.