The decision made at the 2008 NATO Bucharest summit that Ukraine and Georgia will become members of the North Atlantic Alliance and that the Membership Action Plan will be the next step along this path remains in effect, but the alliance expects Ukraine to continue to focus on internal reforms, Head of NATO Information and Documentation Centre Vineta Kleine has said.

At the roundtable conference "NATO-Ukraine Relations in Context of Sustainable Truce in Donbas" in Kyiv on Wednesday, Kleine said there is no shortcut to NATO membership. Regarding the reforms that Ukraine is committed to, it is very important that they are implemented, carried out and bring results. Thus, she said that the decision taken at the Bucharest summit still exists and NATO expects Ukraine to continue to focus on internal reforms, since successful implementation of reforms is the best way to move further towards membership.

She also said that it took ten years of very careful and hard work for her homeland, Latvia, to commit real, regular reforms on the way to membership in the alliance.

Kleine said that the provision of a membership action plan does not prejudge any decisions on NATO membership. NATO strongly supports Ukraine's ongoing security and defense reforms. It is very important that these reforms are carried out in a comprehensive manner. It is significant that all aspects are taken into account during this process, such as strengthening measures to combat corruption, democratic control and civilian control over the Ukrainian Armed Forces and security institutions.