On July 9 (local time), according to TASS, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov said that the country will not be able to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the present as well as in the next 10 years, despite Kiev receiving unprecedented military and financial support from Western countries.
In the interview, Mr. Azarov commented on the joint statement after the NATO Summit in Ankara, which no longer mentioned the commitment to admit Ukraine to the alliance.
According to him, NATO's failure to include this content in the document reflects the fact that the possibility of Kiev becoming an official member of the alliance in the near future is very low.
I don't think anyone will admit Ukraine to NATO, not just now but in the next 10 years," Mr. Azarov said.
The former Prime Minister of Ukraine said that the country is facing a series of serious problems such as infrastructure being destroyed by conflict, prolonged corruption and security issues.
He also cited the case of a Ukrainian businessman being bombed in Monaco last week, then the suspect was murdered in Kiev, to argue about the security and order situation in Ukraine which is still very complicated.
According to Mr. Azarov, these factors make Kiev's prospects for joining NATO increasingly difficult.
However, the former Prime Minister believes that in reality, Ukraine is receiving a level of support from NATO equivalent, even exceeding many member countries of the alliance.
He said that no NATO country has received as much financial aid as Ukraine in recent years.
In addition, Kiev also continuously receives modern weapons, intelligence information and strong political support from many Western countries.
According to Mr. Azarov, in terms of military and political support, Ukraine is currently almost treated as a member of NATO, although it does not yet have formal status.
Since the conflict with Russia escalated, NATO countries have repeatedly affirmed that they will continue to support Kiev militarily, financially and in training, but the issue of Ukraine's admission remains a divisive topic within the alliance.
Some countries believe that admitting Kiev at the present time could drag NATO into direct confrontation with Russia, while many other countries still express political support for Ukraine's aspiration to join.
Mr. Azarov's statement was made in the context that the future of relations between NATO and Ukraine continues to be one of the topics of concern in Europe.
