Zelenskyy's adviser Igor Zhovkva says Ukraine not looking for NATO membership: Report

Igor Zhovkva, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine will not take steps toward becoming a NATO member. He stressed that members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have refused to accept the "aspirations" and they will not make any effort for it. Zhovkva stated that Kyiv wants the military alliance to accept that Ukraine is a "cornerstone of European security," RT reported, citing The Financial Times.

According to Igor Zhovkva, Ukraine wants NATO to work on its partnership with Kyiv. The statement of Igor Zhovkva comes ahead of the NATO summit in Madrid which is due to be held next week. During the meeting, the members of the military alliance will reveal the Strategic Concept - a document that outlines the mission of NATO and its position regarding the non-NATO members, including China and Russia, RT reported.

Reportedly, NATO's Strategic Concept document which has not been updated since 2010 mentions that the military alliance wants "a true strategic partnership" with Russia. However, Igor Zhovkva has expressed hope that the military alliance will give "strict and severe warnings to Russia" in the NATO Strategic Concept. 

Notably, Russia has been long opposing Ukraine's prospective membership in NATO and that was one of the major objections by the Kremlin that preceded Moscow's full-fledged military offensive against Kyiv. Ukraine, in 2019, had mentioned about their aim of becoming a member of NATO despite the warnings given by the US-led military bloc. Russia had stressed that NATO's forces and weapons on the border near Russia will pose a security threat.

The US and Western nations had been repeatedly accusing Russia of planning an armed invasion of Ukraine; Moscow continued to refute the allegations. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" in Ukraine on February 24. Since then, the war between Russia and Ukraine has led to massive death and destruction across Kyiv's territories. 

NATO to decide on comprehensive assistance package for Ukraine: Stoltenberg

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has called Russia's military offensive against Ukraine "the most urgent threat" faced by them and asserted that it has "shattered peace" in Europe. In an interview with Politico, Stoltenberg stated that NATO will continue to support their partners "that are vulnerable to Russian threats", including Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

Highlighting NATO's support for Ukraine, the NATO chief said that the military alliance will decide on a new comprehensive assistance package for Ukraine, consisting of concrete projects and military equipment, as per a statement released on the NATO website. According to Stoltenberg, the military alliance will explore longer-term help to Ukraine, including the transition from Soviet-era military equipment to modern NATO equipment at the summit in Madrid. 

(Image: AP)