Ukraine’s former commander-in-chief and current ambassador to the United Kingdom, Valery Zaluzhny, said Ukraine will never join NATO, dismissing the prospect of a future membership. The remarks came during a discussion on Euro-Atlantic integration at a general gathering of ambassadors in Kyiv, European Pravda reported.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Asked to comment on Ukraine’s participation in the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a UK-led coalition designed for rapid crisis response in strategically sensitive regions, Zaluzhny instead addressed NATO membership directly: “I know NATO very well. For roughly 12 years I’ve personally worked on mastering NATO standards, and every year I’ve listened to the same fairy tale that we’re about to join.” “Unfortunately, we never will,” Zaluzhny added. According to a survey conducted between May 7 and June 3 by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) Zaluzhny remains Ukraine’s most trusted public figure, with 73% support. Principles built for a different era According to Zaluzhny, the core obstacle is a mismatch between the two militaries. The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), he said, have reached a level of development that cannot be incorporated into an alliance still operating on the “doctrines of the Second World War.” He was skeptical about NATO’s capacity to change, saying that the alliance will possibly stay as it is despite the membership of major powers like Britain and the United States.