The former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army and current Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, Valery Zaluzhny, said he sees no prospect of the country joining NATO, even though membership is enshrined as a strategic goal in the Ukrainian constitution. This was reported by Reuters, citing the Ukrainian publication "European Truth".
He expressed this position during a meeting with Ukrainian ambassadors. According to him, Ukraine in no way meets the military standards required to join the alliance.
"I know NATO very well. "For about 12 years, I personally worked to make sure that we meet NATO standards, and every year I heard talk about how we will join NATO at any moment," he said during the meeting, adding that it was "impossible with the level of development that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have... to join an organization guided by the doctrines of World War II."
According to him, the technologies that Ukraine needs are already used by NATO member states, "including missile defense, space capabilities, and others."
We recall that Ukraine has written into its constitution that it aspires to membership in NATO and the European Union. But the country acknowledges that not all members of the alliance would currently support its accession.
Zaluzny was removed as commander-in-chief last year over disagreements with President Volodymyr Zelensky over how to conduct the war with Russia. Polls on voter confidence put him roughly on a par with Zelensky and former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who was fired last month. Zaluzhny’s successor was also removed last month.
Russia categorically rejects any possibility of Ukraine joining NATO.