Poroshenko: Ukraine’s accession to NATO is unwavering like the Polar Star

Entry into NATO remains Ukraine’s strategic goal, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has said in his annual address to the Supreme Rada.

“Entry into NATO remains our strategic goal. I would like to emphasize that this path is unwavering like the Polar Star in the sky," the president said.

In his words, Ukraine has achieved an unprecedented level of cooperation with the NATO countries. “We have achieved an unprecedented level of closest-ever cooperation with the alliance member countries, and we will be enhancing, expanding and deepening it until we fully meet the membership criteria,” the Ukrainian president said.

Nevertheless, Poroshenko admitted that NATO lacks a consensus over Ukraine’s membership.

On December 23 2014, the Supreme Rada of Ukraine amended two laws renouncing its non-aligned status.  The new military doctrine implies resumption of the aspiration towards NATO membership: Ukraine should ensure a full compatibility of its armed forces with the forces of the NATO countries by 2020. In mid-December 2015, during President Poroshenko’s visit to Brussels, Ukraine and NATO signed “a road map on the defense and technical cooperation.”

Earlier, NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine’s NATO membership is not on the agenda so far.