Lubkivskyy: Ukraine must declare NATO membership the strategic goal

Ukraine must declare NATO membership the strategic goal, since only membership in this collective system can guarantee the security of the country, announced Danylo Lubkivskyy, the Advisor to the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (2014) during the 8th Kyiv Security Forum organized by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Open Ukraine Foundation.

“I am one of those who believe that Ukraine must declare NATO membership the strategic goal. Exactly such narrative dominates in the pro-European coalition of the parliament,” - he said.

D.Lubkivskyy stated that neutral status, which Ukraine has refused of, could not guarantee the safety and only led to the loss of territories.

However, the advisor to the Prime Minister is convinced that NATO should be more confident about its further expansion of membership and avoid a weak position so far as “Putin's power is directly related to the weakness of the Western states”. The EU and NATO must also understand that defending itself from the Russian aggression, Ukraine protects the both associations, he said.

"We cannot delay. Yes, we know that the development of defense capabilities takes time. But we have to be a part of the collective security. If the Europeans are not interested in our security and its maintenance, Putin will go further," - said D.Lubkivskyy .

Moreover, in his opinion, Ukraine's future membership both in the EU and NATO, “will help to change Russia itself and give way for the formation of a new identity of this country, which is dominated by chauvinism and imperialism”.

For your information:

The annual international event ‘Kyiv Security Forum’, established by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Open Ukraine Foundation in 2007 is a platform for discussion of the most pressing issues concerning the security in Europe and the Black Sea region. The Forum is aimed at promoting security cooperation between the European Union and the Black Sea Region, raising awareness of the development of security among key players and strengthening the role of independent and non-governmental actors in solving security problems in Europe.