Ukraine's position on membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) remains unchanged. This was commented by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov after the statement by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth about the unreality of such a development, UNIAN reports.
"You have heard these statements for the past 33 years. We have to get used to all kinds of statements. Our position has always been unchanged. We want to be a NATO member. We will be a NATO member," the Defense Minister said after the meeting in Ramstein, held on February 12.
According to Umerov, Ukraine will also become a member of the European Union (EU). He stressed that Ukraine maintains its "defense capability and we are capable of doing this." "We have our own priorities, we draw all conclusions together with our people," the minister added. We recall that Hegseth, who made his first visit to Europe as the new head of the Pentagon, stated at a meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine that the United States seriously doubts the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO after the war. "The United States does not consider Ukraine's membership in NATO to be a realistic outcome of a diplomatic settlement," Hegseth said. He also stressed that the allies must recognize that Ukraine's return to its pre-2014 borders is impossible.
"Pursuing this illusion will only prolong the suffering", he added.
Hegseth also noted that the war cannot be stopped without "a realistic assessment of what is happening on the battlefield".
He said the United States is seeking to end the war and stop the bloodshed. He stressed that the guarantees resulting from the negotiations must exclude the possibility of resuming hostilities.
"This should not be Minsk 3.0", Hegseth noted.
Hegseth also made a number of statements regarding security guarantees. According to him, these guarantees should be provided by "European and non-European forces".
"If at some point peacekeeping forces are deployed in Ukraine, this should not be within the framework of the NATO mission and not within the framework of Article 5 on collective security", he stressed.
He also noted that regardless of the outcome of the peace talks, the United States will not send its military contingent to Ukraine.
Part of the speech of the new Pentagon chief was devoted to the US's relations with its European allies. Hegseth said that ensuring security in Europe should be a priority for the US's European allies in NATO.
"As part of this, in the future Europe should be the one providing the bulk of lethal and non-lethal military assistance to Ukraine," he said. Currently, Kiev's main ally in terms of aid volumes is the United States.
"The United States represents 50% of NATO. One ally is responsible for more than half of the alliance's strength. So in that sense, I have no concerns because we are all engaged together in the work. I would not like to speculate on what negotiations are currently underway."
This was commented on by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who was asked whether he feared that, given the active communication between Moscow and Washington, other US allies would be left out.
"We must not lose sight of the main thing. And the most important thing is, first, to make sure that we can change the trajectory of what is happening in Ukraine and that Ukraine is in the most advantageous position to start negotiations. And, second, to make sure that whatever the final consensus is, it works and will not be challenged by Putin in six months, a year or two."