Why Launch of Ukraine's NATO Membership Dialogue is Another 'False Alarm'

The statement of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko that NATO accepted Kiev's proposal to formally launch its membership dialogue is a "false alarm" as the talks on accession will most likely yield no sufficient results, Viktor Ozerov, the chairman of the Defense and Security Committee of Russia's upper house of parliament, told Sputnik.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, Poroshenko said at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that NATO has accepted Ukraine’s proposal to start talks on the establishment of the Membership Action Plan.

"It is yet another Poroshenko’s false alarm, which will not achieve its goal. The leading European countries have repeatedly said that they do not see Ukraine in NATO… I think that Poroshenko’s statement only illustrates his own wish and nothing more," Ozerov said.

The lawmaker reminded that the similar situation happened to Georgia, which also prepared the membership action plan, but the talks on accession have stalled since 2008.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier on Monday that Ukraine's accession to NATO would mean the alliance's military infrastructure further approaching Russia's borders, which would not contribute to strengthening stability in Europe.

In December 2014, Ukraine cancelled its non-aligned status and confirmed its intention to join NATO. Poroshenko said a referendum on NATO membership would be held by 2020. Despite Kiev's aspirations to become part of the alliance, NATO officials have repeatedly stressed that the country needs to implement a wide range of reforms before pursuing membership of the alliance.