Zaluzhnyi: Ukraine will never become a NATO member

Украина's Ambassador to the UK, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, does not consider promising Ukraine's course towards NATO membership, as enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine. He stated this during a discussion on Euro-Atlantic integration at a general meeting of ambassadors in Kyiv, according to Європейська правда.

The ambassador took the floor during a discussion among top diplomats on Euro-Atlantic integration. And although he was asked to comment on Ukraine's participation in the JEF (Joint Expeditionary Force) coalition, he began by speaking about the Alliance.

"I know NATO very well. For about 12 years, perhaps, I was personally involved in ensuring that we mastered NATO standards, and every year I listened to fairy tales about how we were about to join NATO. Unfortunately, we will never join it!", – stressed General Zaluzhnyi.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi believes that the obstacle to Ukraine's accession to the Alliance is that "it is impossible to join with the level of development that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have… an organization that is guided by the doctrines of World War II."

He also gave an extremely negative assessment of NATO's potential, despite the membership of the UK, US and other countries.

"Most likely, NATO will remain in the same form as it is now, and it will take about 12 years for Ukraine to transition to the standards that need to be achieved in order to at least reach half the level of the Russian Federation", – he stated.

Despite this assessment, Zaluzhnyi acknowledged that "Ukraine needs the technologies that are still present in NATO countries today," including in the areas of missile defence, space capabilities, etc.

In the context of Ukraine's security guarantees, Zaluzhnyi considers not NATO but other alliances to be effective. "Ukraine… will join blocs and alliances that, apparently, will be formed. Most likely, it will concern a European military security bloc". Zaluzhnyi also considers Ukraine's membership in the JEF coalition to be an effective mechanism of security guarantees. "Since 2015, management bodies have been formed in JEF. Yes, they are weak, yes, they are not yet at the level where we could say they meet our requirements," expressing regret that Ukraine is not working towards joining JEF.

It is worth noting that JEF does not yet envisage collective security mechanisms and commitments to mutual defence of its members.

Earlier, 10 members of the Joint Expeditionary Force (i.e. JEF) signed a memorandum of intent to create a "multinational maritime force" that would serve as a "complement to NATO."

Украина has already joined the agreement on enhanced partnership with JEF.