Ukraine steps up efforts to join NATO ‘very, very’ soon after war – POLITICO

SINGAPORE — Ukraine is seeking NATO membership in a “very short time” after winning military victory over Russia, Ukraine’s deputy defense minister told POLITICO on Sunday, doubling down on Kiev’s pressure on the West for a clear roadmap to join the military alliance.

In an interview on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Volodymyr Havrylov also called on Beijing to refrain from sending military supplies to Moscow, while saying it is “understandable” that normal business activities continue between China and Russia.

Ukraine’s future role in NATO has become a hot topic ahead of the July summit of alliance leaders in Lithuania. The United States and Germany have pushed back on calls from Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic states for a clear plan on kyiv’s membership bid.

On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was ‘useless’ for him to attend next month’s NATO summit if Ukraine is not ‘recognized’ or ‘received a signal’ about its status post-war period in the military alliance.

“We would like to hear the plan or the roadmap, or a list of actions to be taken by both parties – NATO and Ukraine – to achieve membership in a very short time,” Havrylov said. While he acknowledged that this would not be possible as long as the war continued, “at the same time, we must understand that after our victory, our process of [joining] the block will be very, very short.

NATO, he said, should provide Ukraine with a list of steps to take “with clear confirmation that Ukraine is a legitimate candidate” for NATO membership.

In the meantime, Havrylov said, Ukraine will negotiate a “system of security guarantees” with NATO during the transition period before joining. These guarantees should include a commitment by NATO countries to help Ukraine win the war; support for the Ukrainian economy; and support for maintaining sanctions and other forms of pressure against Russia, he said.

Asked about reports of China selling drones to Russia, Havrylov said it was only for “commercial drones”.

“Yes, they continue to sell only ordinary commercial products to support the Russian economy. It’s good, it’s understandable, but we hope that they will keep their promises not to sell weapons to Russia, like Iran. It’s important,” he said.

“China is also following some kind of international sanctions against Russia and India as well. So if it’s dual-use equipment, I think neither China [nor] India is…interested in violating this kind of [sanctions] because they depend on technology from Europe and the United States,” Havrylov said.

China has repeatedly denied reports of sending arms supplies to Russia, even though Beijing promised an ‘unlimited’ partnership with Moscow shortly before Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion. Ukraine’s total last year.