What Does Kyiv Need? Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Shares Details

The NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP) is no longer sufficient for Ukraine; Kyiv will not be satisfied unless it joins the alliance, stated Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanishyna in an interview with European Pravda.

“If Ukraine had been offered the MAP before February 24, we would have been very satisfied with this decision, we would have been happy and would have believed that we fulfilled the requirements of our Constitution, and this is the only right decision. Today, the proposal for the MAP within NATO will be equivalent to the decision made at the 2008 Bucharest summit. That is, only membership,” said Stefanishyna.

The Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada changed two laws in December 2014, abandoning the country's non-bloc status. In February 2019, the Ukrainian parliament adopted amendments to the constitution, enshrining the country’s course towards EU and NATO membership.

Ukraine has become the sixth country to receive NATO's Enhanced Opportunities Partner status. Officials in Washington have repeatedly stated that Ukraine's potential membership in NATO is not under consideration at this stage. However, the U.S. has emphasized that the alliance will never abandon its “open door” policy and has not ruled out that Kyiv may seek to join the organization in the future.