Prospects of Ukraine's membership in NATO are "outside field of vision" – Yatseniuk

18:02, 03.04.2014 1 min read

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk said Ukraine is hoping for NATO's assistance with the modernization of its army, but the issue of Ukraine's membership in NATO is currently not on the agenda.

"Our signal is very clear. The prospect of membership is outside of our field of vision. We are talking about cooperation, technical support for Ukraine with the modernization of its army," Yatseniuk said in an interview with the BBC, responding to a question as to whether Russia can take the statements on Ukraine's membership in NATO as a signal of escalation and send troops there.

"We already have a number of joint trainings with our partners in NATO," Yatseniuk said.

At the same time, Yatseniuk said that "we will defend our country if Russia goes to war."

Yatseniuk said he believes it is unacceptable for Russia "to interfere with Ukraine's internal policies."