Sybiha: Ukraine will never accept third country's veto power over its NATO membership

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha once again emphasizes that, despite the lack of consensus among NATO member states regarding Kyiv’s membership in this organization, the Ukrainian side will never accept the possibility of any third country using its veto power on this decision.

"There are fundamental things that the Ukrainian side will never accept. And one of these fundamental positions is the impossibility of any third country having a veto on our aspirations, on our intentions to become part of this or that union, this or that alliance, including NATO," he told Ukrainian journalists in Brussels on Friday after a meeting of the foreign ministers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization member states, which also included a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council. Sybiha also said that during the meeting he informed his colleagues about the immutability of this position.

Sybiha stated that at this stage there is no consensus among NATO member countries on this issue, but believes that this is not related to the position of "either Russia or a third country." "These are fundamental things for us. We continue to implement NATO standards in Ukraine, and we also prove this to our partners, our position that the most effective factor in ensuring not only Ukrainian security, but also transatlantic security, since Ukrainian security and transatlantic security are indivisible, is Ukraine's membership in NATO. This is supported by our Constitution, this is also supported by the will of our people," the Ukrainian minister emphasized.

He also reported that as of today, the Ukrainian side has not yet received an invitation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to participate in the upcoming NATO summit, which will take place in The Hague in June.