Entry into NATO Ukraine's strategic goal, this path unwavering like Polar Star
Entry into NATO remains a strategic goal of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.
"We have achieved an unprecedented level of closest-ever cooperation with the alliance member countries, and we will be enhancing, expanding and deepening it until we fully meet the membership criteria. Entry into NATO remains our strategic goal. I would like to emphasize that this path is unwavering like the Polar Star in the sky," the president said in his annual address to the Verkhovna Rada on Tuesday.
The number of people supporting Ukraine's accession to NATO has markedly grown in the past 2.5 years. It is now much bigger than the number of opponents, Poroshenko said.
"Significant differences remain between macro-regions," the president said.
There is no consensus regarding Ukraine's membership in NATO either, he said.
"The door is formally open. But it is triggered by a sensor and may shut if the approach is too swift. So, every step we take should be measured and well-conceived in order to avoid a recurrence of the Membership Action Plan (MAP) situation that happened eight years ago," Poroshenko said, adding that the current programs are much bigger than "the 2008 MAP project."