On Wednesday, May 27, 2015, a discussion “Ukraine & NATO: A Partnership to keep Europe Whole and Free” was held in Kyiv, Ukraine. In the discussion took part Oleksiy Makeev (Head of the policy department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine), Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze (MP and Head of the Permanent delegation of Verkhovna Rada to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly), Jamie Shea (Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges at NATO), Mykola Kapitonenko (Director of the Center of International Relations Research), moderator: Bruno Lete (programming coordinator at Marshall Fund, Brussels).
Jamie Shea, NATO’s Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges, says during the discussion that NATO is cooperating with Ukraine in the security interests of all members of the alliance:
“We in NATO fully understand that Ukraine’s security is our security”
“Assistance to Ukraine is not just a moral obligation to help the country in its democratic challenges, but it is also in the security interests of all members of the alliance. NATO is cooperating with Ukraine,” said NATO official.
NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges underlines that Russia and pro-Russian terrorists in Ukraine must fulfill the Minsk Agreements:
“The latest Minsk agreements are not perfect, at this time they provide the best option to address the situation. In this regard, the main task is to ensure that the Minsk agreements are implemented”, he said.
Although NATO official states that Ukraine is not yet ready for membership of the alliance:
“We have agreed that Ukraine is not ready yet, and that there are more urgent priorities regarding the resolution of the situation in the east, as well as reforms in many areas,” said Shea.
