Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze: Ukraine’s goal is NATO membership

"Ukraine has defined for itself a great, strong, strategic goal, it is the goal of membership in the Alliance. And today we see no other landmark", emphasized Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine during the 10th Kyiv Security Forum, organized by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Foundation Open Ukraine.

The Ukrainian official underlined that Ukraine is focused on the transformation of its defense and security sector. "And according to my point of view, introducing criteria for NATO, we perform technical regulation of democratic values", she said.

Ukraine feels support and solidarity of NATO on the issue of everyday pressure on the aggressor, using political means, through a policy of sanctions, as well as through humanitarian dimension, noted Vice Prime Minister. "Around 400 wounded Ukrainians have been treated within NATO member states," she reminded.

However, this aid should acquire a new dimension. "We do not ask for NATO troops to protect Ukraine directly. We do not ask for NATO soldiers to die for Ukraine. These are our soldiers today dying for our and your freedom. We ask for solidarity in aid of construction, restoration of our Armed Forces. We ask for help in providing defensive weapons to Ukraine", stressed Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.

"Today we rebuild a military-industrial potential, and we are confident that some day this will be a value for the Alliance, so once we can be a contributor of security, proximate, day-to-day security contributor to the Alliance", noted Vice Prime Minister.

She emphasized that now Russia fills all the security vacuum that occurs in the world. "We absolutely do not want to be in the gray zone of security. Therefore, we have a dream, we have an idea, we have the goal of joining the Alliance. And from Alliance's solidarity, unity of its members, depends whether this dream for us remains only an idea, or it will be supported when we will be ready to apply for membership", added Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.

According to Klympush-Tsintsadze opinion, it is time to change the Charter on a Distinctive Partnership between Ukraine and NATO, signed 20 years ago, which Ukraine is guided in its relations with NATO. "The new Charter can become a new era in Eastern Europe", Vice Prime Minister said.

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Kyiv Security Forum was launched by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Foundation Open Ukraine in 2007 is an annual international event to high-level discussions on the current issues in the Black Sea region and wider Europe. The Forum aims at increasing security cooperation between the EU and the Black Sea region, raising awareness about regional developments among key regional players, promoting the role of independent and non-governmental actors in setting the security agenda in Europe.