Ukrainian President Poroshenko affirms determination to join NATO
In an interview with German television channel ARD on November 30, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko reaffirmed his ambition to bring his country into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
President Poroshenko said: "Russia invaded our territory last August and started a real war. There can be no peace until their troops withdraw."
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| Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (Source: AP) |
He said that joining NATO was Ukraine’s genuine desire, although Kiev still needed to carry out more reforms. He also called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to use his influence to de-escalate the conflict, saying that “peace would be restored in two to three weeks at most” if Russian troops withdrew from eastern Ukraine.
Poroshenko's statement came exactly a year after the Maidan protests that led to serious tensions between Russia and the West. Moscow has flatly denied allegations that Russian troops have invaded eastern Ukraine and warned Kiev to abandon its plans to join NATO.
Responding to Mr. Poroshenko's statements, speaking on ZDF television channel the same day, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that discussing granting NATO status to Ukraine was not on the agenda of this organization. He said: "We must be aware of the fact that we are in a very dangerous conflict." According to the German diplomat, with his diplomatic duties, he cannot "add fuel to the fire" by granting NATO membership to Ukraine./.
According to VNA
