“No opponents” of Ukraine joining during Brussels meeting, – Defense chief on invitation to NATO

Rustem Umerov. Photo: Umerov/Facebook

During the discussions regarding Ukraine’s invitation to NATO, there were no opponents of Ukraine joining the Alliance.

This was stated by the Minister of Defense, Rustem Umerov, who spoke with journalists in Brussels following the meeting with NATO defense chiefs.

“To be honest, no questions were raised. I thought there would be a situation where some would want (Ukraine to be invited to NATO – ed.) and some wouldn’t, but there was no such thing. Everyone wants Ukraine to be in NATO. The wider question though was ‘how can we help now and how quickly can we do this’. These are internal questions, they will speak internally. But I didn’t hear anything against it at all, judging by the room, by the general feeling,” Umerov said.

He added that the issue of Ukraine joining NATO has always been considered untimely, but Ukraine must promote its own action plan.

“We must live in line with our plan. We want to be a NATO Ally, member of the European Union, and I hope that one day we will also become a member of the G20,” Umerov noted.