Ukraine ‘Far From Being Ready’ to Become Member of NATO: US Ambassador

© Flickr / U.S. Embassy Kyiv UkraineUkraine "far from being ready" to become member of NATO: ambassador
Ukraine far from being ready to become member of NATO: ambassador - Sputnik International
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US Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt said that Ukraine is not prepared for NATO membership, as its decision to join the alliance should be based on a reformed society and the will of Ukrainians.

WASHINGTON, December 9 (Sputnik) — Ukraine is not prepared for NATO membership, as its decision to join the alliance should be based on a reformed society and the will of Ukrainians, US Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt has said.

"It is also very well understood by the Ukrainian government that they are far from being ready for NATO membership," Pyatt said Monday at an Atlantic Council event in Washington, DC. "They [the government of Ukraine] need to do so on the basis of a thoroughly reformed society. The question of Ukraine's NATO membership…is a question for the Ukrainian people themselves to decide."

The sweeping reforms to civil society and the government, planned by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, are where the United States is going to focus its efforts, Pyatt stressed.

Of all the sectors in need of reform, Ukraine's energy sector, challenged by corruption and lacking efficiency, is the most critical, the ambassador underlined.

"There is no sector more in need of reform or more central to the fate of Ukrainian democracy than energy and energy reform," Pyatt asserted.

"For this [Ukrainian] government, diversification of gas supplies is a strategic priority. It's a strategic priority that the United States supports," Pyatt said.

Last week, Ukraine successfully negotiated increased reverse gas flows with the government of Slovakia, and has secured contracts with other western companies including Statoil, Chevron, and Shell.

In the short term, Ukraine will remain largely dependent on contracts with Russia to provide gas, but Pyatt believes Ukraine energy diversification can effectively begin by increasing reverse gas flows from neighbouring European countries and signing new contracts with energy providers in Europe.

In 2010, then-president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych signed a law outlining the country's non-aligned status. In August, a bill dropping the status was submitted to the Ukrainian parliament. Prior to the NATO summit in early September, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk stated that Ukraine would be seeking NATO membership.

Since the beginning of the crisis in south-eastern Ukraine, the country has been striving to increase its cooperation with NATO. Last month, five Ukrainian parties signed a draft coalition agreement signalling that NATO membership would be one of the top priorities of Ukraine's new government.

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