The issue of amending the Ukrainian Constitution to enshrine neutral status is currently out of date. The North Atlantic Alliance has assured that support for Ukraine will increase, but it is very important for us today to understand what it will be.
This was stated in an interview with LB.ua by the Vice Speaker of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Oleksandr Korniyenko.
He stressed that Ukraine has already done a lot to achieve the membership and is constantly bringing our military standards and legislation in line with NATO requirements.
"I would say that we have several dimensions to this issue. I am directly involved in the parliamentary dimension. For the past few months, I have been co-chair of the Ukraine-NATO Interparliamentary Council (UNIC) and participated in symposia. One of them was in Ukraine, the other took place in Brussels. We were also constantly in touch via Zoom. Especially in the last days before the war. I was in contact with the President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Mr. Gerald E. Connolly, a US senator. And other colleagues. In particular, with my counterpart, UNIC co-chair Michał Scherba from Poland,” he said.
Kornienko stressed that he had never heard any rhetoric from any member of the Ukraine-NATO Interparliamentary Council (UNIC) about the need to stop the process of Ukraine's movement into NATO, only that we should wait for another five years.
"Or [the talks included]: let's make additional demands to Ukraine. Everyone is aware that Ukraine must be a member of NATO. But as quickly as possible ... They all understood that this is an important aspiration of Ukraine. Especially given the fact that Russia is constantly brandishing weapons. For the whole year it moved its troops here and there. Second. What is NATO? It is not only a union, a symbol, but also certain standards. That infrastructure, the logic of action, the construction of the army ... I think if we had not been so obsessed with achieving these standards to be integrated into the Alliance, we would have much worse results now,” said the Vice Speaker.
According to him, Ukraine has already done a lot to obtain a Membership Action Plan.
"If you ask whether to discuss the existence of this norm in the Constitution now, I think it is a political issue. The constitution cannot be changed in wartime. So what is the point of heated discussions about this question? I fully agree with our president that now it is necessary to make a certain reassessment of all international formats ... ", - he stressed.
Korniyenko added that the issue of a specific course and presence [Ukraine’s presence in NATO] Should be discussed in calmer times. "On the other hand, we would like to see a clearer understanding of how our partners see it. There is communication. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recently assured that support for Ukraine will increase. And it is very important for us today to understand how this support will be manifested," said the Vice Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada.
Earlier President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with European public broadcasters that a third of NATO members do not see Ukraine in the Alliance. He noted that we are not accepted into NATO because they are afraid of Russia.