Ukraine's former commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi
Ukraine's former commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi has cast doubt on his country's prospects of joining NATO, saying Ukraine is unlikely to become a member under current conditions despite years of efforts to align with the alliance.
Speaking at a meeting of Ukrainian ambassadors, Zaluzhnyi, now Ukraine's ambassador to the United Kingdom, said he had spent more than a decade working on bringing Ukraine's armed forces closer to NATO standards but had repeatedly heard promises that membership was imminent.
“I know NATO really well. For about 12 years I personally worked on making sure we met NATO standards, and every year I heard tales about how we would join any day now. Unfortunately, we will never actually join,” he said, according to Ukrainian media.
Zaluzhnyi argued that Ukraine's military does not meet the alliance's requirements and suggested NATO itself remains guided by doctrines dating back to World War II.
