|
Listen to article
|
Ukraine has restated its intent to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, despite Russia’s strong opposition to the ambition.
Speaking in Turkey on Saturday, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that Ukraine could play a key role in transnational security.
“Ukraine’s NATO membership should not be off the table,” Sybiha told a panel at the ongoing Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
The senior official said his country’s push to join the transnational alliance was about contributing to “transatlantic security.”
“We now have 110 brigades with daily combat experience,” Sybiha added, confirming Ukraine’s increased military strength since Russia’s invasion in 2022.
Also speaking at the panel, NATO’s Deputy Assistant Secretary General, Javier Colomina, said the body does not publicly comment on its expansion.
“We will continue to work with our Ukrainian friends for their transatlantic aspirations and integration,” Colomina noted.
As part of its demands to end the war, Russia’s security guarantees include, “the refusal of NATO countries to accept it (Ukraine) into the alliance,” according to Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko.
In other news, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed that the country has intelligence suggesting that about 155 Chinese nationals are fighting for the Russian military against Ukraine.
According to Zelenskyy, the real number is likely to be much higher.
He stated this while speaking to reporters in Kyiv on Wednesday.
Zelenskyy alleged that Russia was recruiting Chinese citizens via social media and insisted that Chinese officials were aware.
He added that Ukraine was trying to confirm if the recruits were receiving instructions from Beijing.
