Ukrainian Ambassador Clarifies His Words: Will Kyiv Join NATO?

The Ukrainian ambassador to the United Kingdom, Vadym Prystaiko, has clarified his recent statements regarding Ukraine's potential membership in NATO, asserting that any concessions made by Ukraine do not pertain to abandoning its goal of joining the alliance. In a BBC interview, he corrected his earlier remarks suggesting that Kyiv might reconsider its NATO ambitions.

During a previous broadcast, Prystaiko indicated that Ukraine could possibly withdraw from NATO membership discussions if such a move could help prevent war with Russia. He stated, “Right now, we are not entering NATO, and we are ready to make many concessions to avoid war, which we have also mentioned in discussions with Russia. This is not about the postponement of our aspirations to be part of NATO; we are speaking about the fact that currently we are not in the family (of NATO). Therefore, we need to seek bilateral agreements and similar arrangements with Britain and the USA.”

Earlier, in the same BBC program, Prystaiko mentioned that Kyiv might reconsider its position on joining the alliance if it would help halt the ongoing conflict with Russia. Following these statements, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's press secretary, Serhiy Nikiforov, emphasized that the ambassador should be given the opportunity to explain his comments about renouncing NATO membership in the name of peace. He also reminded that the course toward NATO membership is enshrined in Ukraine's Constitution.