NATO: Russia should not Have a Say Regarding Ukraine’s Joining the Alliance

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Russia should not have a say regarding Ukraine’s joining NATO, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on October 30. According to him, Moscow has no any influence over such a decision. “So it’s up to Ukraine to decide whether they want to aspire for membership, whether you want to apply for membership, and then it’s for the 29 members to decide whether you meet the NATO standards and can become a member. No one else has the right to interfere in such a decision. Russia doesn’t have a say. They don’t have, what should I say, legal and real platform to have any influence over such a decision”, said Stoltenberg to cadets at the Maritime Academy in Odesa. NATO Secretary General assured that we made decision in Bucharest at a NATO summit back in 2008 that Ukraine will become a member of NATO. And this decision still stands. At the same time, the main focus now is on reforms in meeting the NATO standards. In 2014, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine amended the law and abandoned non-aligned status. Two years later, in the country’s constitution, NATO and the EU joining was enshrined as the main goals of foreign policy. By 2020, Kyiv needs to ensure full compatibility of its armed forces with the forces of NATO countries. The alliance doesn’t have single position on Ukraine’s joining. On October 29, Hungary vetoed a joint declaration of NATO ambassadors for Ukraine. iz.ru