Granting Ukraine the status of the main U.S. ally outside NATO is an outdated idea; for the president and his political team, Ukraine's full-fledged accession to the North Atlantic Alliance is the matter of principle, adviser to the head of the President's Office of Ukraine Mykhailo Podoliak said.

"For President Volodymyr Zelensky and our entire political team, Ukraine's full-fledged accession to NATO is absolutely fundamental. Not any 'outside NATO' statuses, but accession to the Alliance," told Interfax-Ukraine.

He said that in 2017, the Verkhovna Rada had already voted for a similar appeal to the United States, respectively, now "it is more logical to hold a discussion about the formats and tools for working with NATO and the United States, which could strengthen common security."

After Zelensky's visit to the United States, according to Podoliak, Ukraine's positions have changed a lot.

"Ukraine received a major defense agreement signed by the ministers of defense of Ukraine and the United States. Ukraine also received both support for its course towards NATO membership and specific joint projects with the U.S. side to strengthen our security. So the status 'outside NATO' is definitely outdated and a rather limited idea for Ukraine," he said.