Parliament says Ukraine may be NATO member before EU accession

Ukraine is likely to become a full member of NATO first and then join the EU. This follows from the dynamics of the negotiation process on the European and Euro-Atlantic integration of our country.

This was stated by the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Kornienko, Ukrinform reported.

Why Ukraine can become a NATO member before it joins the EU

"I do not want to play the thankless role of Cassandra. But I expect that we will become a member of NATO before we become a member of the European Union. This is due to certain traditions regarding EU enlargement," the politician said during a "geopolitical dialogue" under the auspices of the European Policy Center in Brussels.

Kornienko said he had come to Brussels as part of an official delegation to take part in talks aimed at further reviewing Ukrainian legislation for compliance with European legal standards. In particular, this is a key and practical requirement for any country to join the EU.

According to the Deputy Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament, Ukraine is well aware that the enlargement process depends on the performance of each candidate country and is ready to work hard to pave its way to full membership in the European Union.

"As practice shows, all waves of EU enlargement took place after European elections. The next such elections will take place in 2029. So, I think that the next opportunity for EU enlargement may open after these elections to the European Parliament. We will do our best to be ready for such a development. But it is difficult to predict what the decision of the member states will be. Five years is a very long time in politics," Kornienko said.

As a reminder, former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recently admitted that Ukraine could become a member of the alliance without any part of the occupied territories. In particular, he recalled that Japan is a member of the Alliance.

At the same time, Stoltenberg said in an interview that only the allies of the Alliance will decide whether it is possible to invite Ukraine to join the bloc, given the fact that part of the country's territory is occupied.