Ukraine Expects Concrete Steps From NATO On Membership - Senior Official

Ukraine is expecting NATO to take concrete steps on the country's accession to the alliance in the next ten years, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Olha Stefanishyna, told German outlet Spiegel

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th January, 2022) Ukraine is expecting NATO to take concrete steps on the country's accession to the alliance in the next ten years, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Olha Stefanishyna, told German outlet Spiegel.

"It is important for us to see that concrete steps directed at Ukraine joining NATO are being taken in the next ten years," Stefanishyna said, commenting on her expectations of the NATO summit in Madrid, scheduled to be held this summer.

She claimed that Russia will allegedly conduct a "more aggressive" policy and added that "not only Ukraine is at stake." If Ukraine fails, Europe will fail too, she concluded.

In December, Russia proposed draft agreements on security guarantees in Europe to the United States and NATO. NATO not expanding eastward and Ukraine not being permitted into the alliance were among the proposals. On January 10, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that it is up to Ukraine and NATO member states to decide whether Ukraine should be a part of the alliance and when.

On January 10, Russia and the US held another round of strategic stability dialogue in Geneva, which was followed by the Russia-NATO Council on security guarantees in Brussels on Wednesday, and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe talks in Vienna the next day.