Ukraine could not join NATO due to conflict in Donbass – German envoy – world

KIEV, September 3. / TASS /. The conflict in Donbass and the situation around Crimea, which Kiev considers Ukrainian, are obstacles to Kiev’s NATO membership, German Ambassador to Ukraine Anka Feldhausen said in a television interview on Friday. Ukrainian.

“The fact remains – there is a military conflict in Ukraine. It is always difficult for NATO to accept new countries with such ongoing conflicts,” she said.

When asked whether the conflict in eastern Ukraine and the situation around Crimea were obstacles to Ukraine’s membership of the Alliance, the envoy replied “yes”.

She noted that Kiev has the tools to move forward in cooperation with NATO.

“It is the annual national programs under the aegis of the Ukraine-NATO Commission that are implemented by Ukraine every year. In addition, Ukraine has already had the status of Enhanced Opportunities Partner for two years, and you [Ukraine] have not taken advantage of existing opportunities at all, ”she said.

The envoy also recalled that reforms must be carried out first, especially military, judicial and anti-corruption.

Earlier Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the United States believes Ukraine needs to meet a number of preconditions to comply with NATO standards, adding that Washington does not could not alone decide on a state’s membership in NATO. She named “efforts to advance rule of law reforms, modernize its defense sector and increase economic growth” among the steps Ukraine should take on its way to NATO .

In 2008, NATO adopted a political declaration that Ukraine and Georgia will someday become members of NATO, but refused to provide an action plan for membership – the first step in the process of membership in the Organization – to either State. According to Brussels experts, over the past 12 years, Kiev and Tbilisi have moved away from the alliance. In particular, NATO does not accept states whose territorial problems are not resolved, as membership of such states could lead the entire alliance into a military conflict.

In 2019, the Ukrainian parliament approved constitutional amendments that cement Ukraine’s trajectory towards NATO, declaring that “the Euro-Atlantic trajectory is irreversible”.