Ukraine to take all necessary steps seeking NATO membership
Leading NATO member states must fulfill their obligations regarding Ukrainian security under the Budapest Memorandum, and there are no other mechanisms to ensure Ukrainian security, except for membership in NATO, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.
"I am confident that we have joint security issues: these are not only issues of Ukrainian security - these are issues of regional security, European security and global transatlantic security. And the world is interested in Ukraine being in the format of a security association," Poroshenko said in an interview with Ukrainian TV channels on Friday, answering the question about how it is realistic for Ukraine to receive the NATO Membership Action Plan.
The president recalled that there is a decision of the 2008 NATO Bucharest summit, which opens doors for Ukraine to NATO. In this context, he stressed that Ukraine should harmonize Ukrainian legislation with the legislation of NATO countries.
"We took a huge step ... The Verkhovna Rada adopted the draft law on national security at the first reading, which is the basic bill for Ukraine's integration into NATO," he added.
Poroshenko also said that the leading NATO member countries are guarantors of Ukrainian security on the Budapest Memorandum.
"There are no other mechanisms to ensure Ukrainian security, except Ukraine's membership in NATO. And they are committed to fulfill their obligations. And we will very persistently take all necessary steps to ensure our security," the president said.