DISINFO: Ukraine is a buffer state for NATO without membership prospects
SUMMARY
At present, NATO does not want to accept Ukraine and, probably, will never accept it. For the West, Ukraine is nothing more than a buffer zone, which separates Europe from its geopolitical rival – Russia – and its role is to put pressure on it.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation about Ukraine and its cooperation with NATO. Ukraine is a strategic partner for NATO in many areas. Since the 1990s, relations between NATO and Ukraine have developed into one of NATO’s most influential partnerships. Relations were strengthened with the signing of the 1997 Charter on a Distinctive Partnership, which established the NATO-Ukraine Commission (NUC). The Declaration of 2009 to Complement the NATO-Ukraine Charter mandated the NUC, through Ukraine’s Annual National Programme, to underpin Ukraine’s efforts to take forward reforms aimed at implementing Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations. NATO's door remains open to any European country in a position to undertake the commitments and obligations of membership and contribute to security in the Euro-Atlantic area. Currently, four partner countries have declared their aspirations to NATO membership: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, North Macedonia and Ukraine, according to NATO’s statement. In February 2019, the Parliament of Ukraine amended the Constitution and cemented Ukraine's course to the EU and NATO.