Ukraine’s victory most important step to joining NATO, Polish defense minister
Ukraine’s victory is the most important step toward its accession to NATO, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said in an interview with Ukrinform on March 17.
“Today, the most important and urgent task is to ensure that Ukraine withstands as a sovereign and independent state,” he said.
“We must mobilize as many military, economic, and financial resources as possible to win this war. Undoubtedly, Ukraine’s victory is its most important step towards possible accession to NATO structures.”
Błaszczak emphasized that the NATO summit in Vilnius “will be a great opportunity to talk about the prospects of Ukraine’s membership in the North Atlantic Alliance.”
“In my opinion, a fundamental principle of the Alliance is to keep NATO open for new members,” the minister stressed.
“Ukraine’s integration into the European and Euro-Atlantic community will be the best investment for stability on our continent.”
In February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy predicted that Ukraine would join NATO after the war ends.
Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has also stated that Ukraine is now a de-facto member of NATO.
The European Union granted Ukraine candidate status on June 23, 2022, a historic moment for EU-Ukraine relations, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The European Council asked the European Commission to update the status of all candidate countries – including Ukraine – in implementing accession criteria, promising to decide on further steps “as soon as all these conditions are fully met.”
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