Ukraine no longer has to go through MAP stage for NATO membership – Kuleba

Dmytro Kuleba, Ukrainian Foreign Minister, has reiterated Kyiv's position that, under the current circumstances, the Membership Action Plan (MAP) should no longer be a mandatory element on Ukraine's path to NATO. 

Source: Kuleba during a joint briefing with the Estonian Foreign Minister as European Pravda reports, referring to Interfax-Ukraine

Kuleba noted that one of the key topics of negotiations with his Estonian counterpart was preparations for the NATO summit in Vilnius, and Kyiv and Tallinn have common expectations. "The key step, of course, is a step towards Ukraine's NATO membership and security guarantees for Ukraine," Kuleba said.

He added that the provision of the MAP to Ukraine under the current circumstances has already lost its relevance as the next step on the way to NATO. 

"We believe that the MAP should no longer be considered an element on the path to membership. This mechanism has outlived its usefulness and should not be applied to Ukraine," Kuleba said.

As you know, Finland and Sweden have started the entry procedure without the MAP stage.  

Kuleba added that Ukraine's membership of NATO is an inevitable issue and "will happen sooner or later".

"Because without Ukraine, it is impossible to protect the Euro-Atlantic space. And we must change the opinion of those who believe that membership should happen later rather than sooner," Dmytro Kuleba stressed.

Background: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he understands the impossibility of Ukraine joining NATO during the war, but he sees no point in participating in the NATO summit in Vilnius unless Ukraine receives specific signals about when it can join the Alliance as a result.

Read also: Ukraine's NATO Membership Needs no Action Plan, We Have to Leave 2008 Mistakes Behind 

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