71-676: The NATO-Ukraine Council (NUC) is a collaborative body established in July 2023 during the NATO summit in Vilnius , replacing NATO-Ukraine Commissions. It serves as a platform where NATO Allies and Ukraine engage as equal participants to advance political dialogue, enhance cooperation, and support Ukraine's aspirations for NATO membership. The NUC facilitates joint consultations, decision-making, and coordinated activities, including crisis consultations between NATO and Ukraine. The NATO-Ukraine Council (NUC)
142-478: A "European, non-aligned state." As of May 2010, NATO and Ukraine continued to cooperate in the framework of the Annual National Program , including joint exercises . According to Ukraine the continuation of Ukraine-NATO cooperation does not exclude the development of a strategic partnership with Russia . On 27 May 2010 Yanukovych stated that he considered Ukraine's relations with NATO as
213-458: A NATO MAP at the December meeting. In a Times of London interview in late November, Yushchenko stated: "Ukraine has done everything it had to do. We are devoted to this pace. Everything else is an issue of political will of those allies who represent NATO." Although NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary-General Aurelia Bouchez and Secretary-General Scheffer still supported Ukraine's NATO bid at
284-515: A key ally and provides a more robust framework for joint consultations, decision-making, and crisis management. The NATO-Ukraine Council operates on a consensus basis, reflecting the collective will of all its members, including Ukraine. It is chaired by the NATO Secretary General and can be convened by any member, including Ukraine, for crisis consultations. This structure differs from the previous format where Ukraine's participation
355-669: A member of NATO. Petro Poroshenko was elected president on 25 May 2014 . On 1 October 2014, Jens Stoltenberg took over the position of NATO Secretary-General. On 29 August 2014, following reports that the Russian military was operating within Ukraine , Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced that he would ask the Ukrainian parliament to put Ukraine on a path towards NATO membership. The government has also signaled that it hoped for major non-NATO ally status with
426-756: A member of the Shmyhal Government (Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna ) the "letter of three" had "not been withdrawn since then." " European integration " was still part of Ukraine's national security strategy. On 24 June 2010 the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers approved an action plan to implement an annual national program of cooperation with NATO in 2010. This included: Ukraine and NATO continued to hold joint seminars and joint tactical and strategical exercises and operations during Yanukovych Presidency. Yanukovych fled Ukraine amid
497-576: A member of the Alliance. During the 2010 presidential election campaign, Party of Regions leader and candidate Viktor Yanukovych stated that the current level of Ukraine's cooperation with NATO was sufficient and that the question of the country's accession to the alliance was therefore not urgent. Yanukovych's victory in the election marked a turnaround in Ukraine's relations with NATO. On 14 February 2010, Yanukovych said that Ukraine's relations with NATO were currently "well-defined", and that there
568-586: A number of other leaders began arriving in Vilnius on Monday, the eve of the summit. In the evening, the Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg hosted a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson . Following multiple hours of negotiations, Stoltenberg announced that Erdoğan agreed to unblock Swedish accession to NATO and ensure the ratification as soon as possible. Soon after
639-673: A partnership, "And Ukraine can't live without this [partnership], because Ukraine is a large country." On 3 June 2010 the Ukrainian parliament passed a bill proposed by the President that excluded the goal of "integration into Euro-Atlantic security and NATO membership" from the country's national security strategy. The law precluded Ukraine's membership of any military bloc, but allowed for co-operation with alliances such as NATO. According to at least one encyclopedia this marks "when [the Ukrainian government] officially abandoned its goal of joining NATO", although as late as May 2022 according to
710-448: A priority. On 23 December 2014, the Ukrainian parliament renounced Ukraine's non-aligned status , a step harshly condemned by Russia. The new law stated that Ukraine's previous non-aligned status "proved to be ineffective in guaranteeing Ukraine's security and protecting the country from external aggression and pressure" and also aimed to deepen Ukrainian cooperation with NATO "to achieve the criteria which are required for membership in
781-878: A protocol of mutual understanding). US President George W. Bush and both nominees for President of the United States in the 2008 election , U.S. senator Barack Obama and U.S. senator John McCain , did offer backing to Ukraine's membership of NATO. Russian reactions were negative. In April 2008, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke out against Ukraine's membership in NATO. At the NATO summit in Bucharest in April 2008, NATO decided it would not yet offer membership to Georgia and Ukraine; nevertheless, NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said that Georgia and Ukraine would eventually become members. Even though it
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#1732790527262852-519: A remark that "we are not Amazon " and that Ukraine should show more thanks for international military aid. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, however, distanced himself from the comment and said that Ukrainians repeatedly expressed the gratitude. Ukraine%E2%80%93NATO relations Relations between Ukraine and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) started in 1991 following Ukraine's independence after
923-497: The Baltic Sea . CBRN task force was also deployed. The Lithuanian State Border Guard Service announced that, from 7 to 13 July, internal Schengen Area border control would be reinstated at Lithuania's border checkpoints with member nations Latvia and Poland, as well as its airports and seaports. For the duration of the event, as well as the days leading up to and after the event, many traffic restrictions were announced by
994-573: The Euromaidan uprising in February 2014. NATO officials vowed support for Ukraine and worked to downplay tensions between the bloc and Russia. In late February 2014, Secretary-General Rasmussen reaffirmed that NATO membership was still an option for Ukraine. As a result of this revolution , the interim Yatsenyuk Government came to power on 26 February in Ukraine. The Yatsenyuk Government initially stated that it did not intend to make Ukraine
1065-652: The Heads of State meeting in Warsaw . Ukraine declared a goal for their armed forces to become interoperable with those of NATO by 2020; the CAPU was designed to meet the needs of this process. The CAPU contained more than 40 targeted support measures in key areas like: On 8 June 2017 the Verkhovna Rada passed a law making integration with NATO a foreign policy priority. In July 2017 Poroshenko announced that he would seek
1136-702: The North Atlantic Cooperation Council after regaining its independence, later renamed the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council . On 22 and 23 February 1992, NATO Secretary-General Manfred Wörner paid an official visit to Kyiv, and on 8 July 1992, Kravchuk visited NATO Headquarters in Brussels. An important event in the development of relations between Ukraine and NATO was the opening in September 1992 of
1207-481: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), their partner countries, and the European Union , held in Vilnius , Lithuania, on 11–12 July 2023. The summit was officially proposed during the previous 2022 Madrid summit and its dates were fixed on 9 November 2022. It was notable for the discussions about the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine as well as Sweden and Ukraine's prospective memberships into
1278-831: The Polish Special Forces to aid the Lithuanian Special Operations Force . Overall, up to 12,000 officers and soldiers were deployed. In addition to security personnel, Spain is reported to have temporarily moved its NASAMS air defense system from its long-term position in Latvia to Vilnius, in addition to Lithuania's own NASAMS systems. Similarly, German Armed Forces have deployed their MIM-104 Patriot long-range air defense system, placing it in Vilnius International Airport . NATO sent additional warships to
1349-648: The Russo-Ukrainian conflict . In early 2021, the Russian military began massing on Ukraine's borders. At the June 2021 Brussels summit , NATO leaders reiterated the statement made at the 2008 Bucharest summit that Ukraine would eventually join NATO. In late 2021, there was another massive Russian military buildup around Ukraine. Russia's Foreign Ministry demanded that Ukraine be forbidden from ever joining NATO. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg replied that
1420-736: The Vilnius City Municipality , including the closure of the entirety of the Vilnius Old Town and many parts of the city center for vehicles. Additionally, from 11 to 12 July, all flights over Vilnius and the surrounding airspace were prohibited and scheduled flights from Vilnius Airport were suspended. According to a representative of Lithuanian Airports, the other two civilian airports in Lithuania – Kaunas Airport and Palanga Airport – would continue to work but could experience delays. US President Joe Biden and
1491-669: The Annual National Programme (ANP) to further support Ukraine’s reform efforts. The transition from the Commission to the Council in 2023 marks a significant strengthening of political ties and Ukraine's closer integration with NATO. Unlike the Commission, where Ukraine was a partner invited to meetings, the new Council format allows Ukraine to sit as an equal participant alongside all NATO member states. This change underscores NATO's commitment to treating Ukraine as
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#17327905272621562-653: The Congress-approved Global Security Contingency Fund . Under the program, the US Army was to train three battalions of Ukrainian troops over a six-month period beginning in April 2015, Others initiatives include Exercise Sea Breeze 2015 (total 2,500 personnel of which 1,000 US military and 500 military from NATO or " Partnership for Peace " countries), "Saber Guardian/Rapid Trident – 2015" (total 2,100 members, including 500 US military and 600 NATO/PfP personnel), as well as
1633-410: The Council took place in Brussels with the participation of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba , and was focused on long-term support for Kyiv. The NATO-Ukraine Council meets in various formats, including in five main sub-committees: 2023 Vilnius Summit The 2023 Vilnius summit was the 32nd formal meeting of the heads of state and heads of government of the thirty-one members of
1704-541: The Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia (which was attended by the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Anatoliy Hrytsenko ) – it was announced that these states were ready to support Ukraine's entry into NATO. As stated, a necessary condition for this should be the support of this step by the Ukrainian society and the achievement of internal stability in Ukraine. On 27 April 2006 at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers,
1775-647: The EU a central goal and the main foreign policy objective. On 7 February 2019 the Ukrainian parliament voted with a majority of 334 out of 385 to change the Ukrainian constitution to help Ukraine to join NATO and the European Union . After the vote, Poroshenko declared: "This is the day when the movement of Ukraine to the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance will be consolidated in
1846-580: The EU are the guarantors of security and stability in Europe, Ukraine is preparing for full membership in these organizations." As in the previous version, the task of "deeply reforming the defense sphere of the state in accordance with European standards" was called "one of the most important priorities of domestic and foreign policy." On 20 January 2006 in Budapest, following a meeting of defense ministers of Central European countries – NATO members – Hungary,
1917-537: The Embassy of Ukraine in Brussels, which was a link in contacts between Ukraine and NATO. A few years later, in February 1994, Ukraine was the first post-Soviet country to conclude a framework agreement with NATO in the framework of the Partnership for Peace initiative, supporting the initiative of Central and Eastern European countries to join NATO. Leonid Kuchma , who became president in July 1994, signed
1988-613: The Foreign Ministers of the NATO countries, a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Commission was held, which opened a new stage in Ukraine's relations with the alliance – "intensive dialogue", which was intended to be the first step towards Ukraine's entry into NATO. During President Viktor Yushchenko's first official visit to the United States, President George W. Bush declared: "I am a supporter of the idea of Ukraine's membership in NATO." A joint official statement by
2059-732: The NATO enlargement summit in November 2002, the NATO–Ukraine commission adopted a NATO-Ukraine Action Plan. President Kuchma 's declaration that Ukraine wanted to join NATO (also in 2002) and the sending of Ukrainian troops to Iraq in 2003 could not mend relations between Kuchma and NATO. Until 2006 the Ukrainian Armed Forces worked with NATO in Iraq. Most officials believed it would be too risky to allow Ukraine to join NATO as it would upset Russia greatly. On 6 April 2004
2130-464: The NATO via the MAP programme at the Bucharest summit." The Ukrainian parliament headed by Arseniy Yatsenyuk was unable to hold its regular parliamentary session following the decision of the parliamentary opposition to prevent the parliament from functioning in a protest against joining NATO . The parliament was blocked from 25 January 2008 until 4 March 2008 (on 29 February 2008 faction leaders agreed on
2201-489: The NATO-Ukraine Action Plan in 2002 and entered into NATO's Intensified Dialogue program in 2005. In 2010, during the premiership of Viktor Yanukovych , the Ukrainian parliament voted to abandon the goal of NATO membership and re-affirm Ukraine's neutral status, while continuing its co-operation with NATO. In the February 2014 Ukrainian Revolution , Ukraine's parliament voted to remove Yanukovych, but
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2272-530: The Russo-Ukrainian War, and there has been overwhelming public support for joining NATO since the 2022 Russian invasion. Ukraine's Declaration of Sovereignty , adopted by parliament in 1990, declared it had the "intention of becoming a permanently neutral state that does not participate in military blocs and adheres to three nuclear free principles" (art. 9). Relations between Ukraine and NATO were formally established in 1992, when Ukraine joined
2343-592: The Ukraine-NATO commission, President Kuchma issued a decree stating that joining NATO was no longer the country's goal – only "a significant deepening of relations with NATO and the European Union as guarantors of security and stability in Europe." After the Orange Revolution in 2004 Kuchma was replaced by President Viktor Yushchenko who is a keen supporter of Ukraine's NATO membership. On 21 April 2005 in Vilnius, as part of an informal meeting of
2414-494: The Ukrainian-Polish air exercise "Safe Skies – 2015" (total 350 participants, including 100 Polish military) and military police "Law and Order – 2015" (total 100 participants, 50 of which are Polish military). In September 2015, NATO launched five trust funds for €5.4 million for the Ukrainian army. €2 million are planned to be sent for the modernization of communication systems, €1.2 million – to reform
2485-601: The United Nations." As a result of other agreements and the memorandum, between 1993 and 1996, Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons. In the summer of 1995, Ukraine requested help to mitigate consequences of the Kharkiv drinking water disaster to the UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs and to NATO . Various NATO countries and other organizations stepped up with medical and civil engineering assistance. This
2556-548: The United States, NATO's largest military power and contributor. As part of these efforts, and to rule out future Ukrainian membership in the Eurasian Economic Union and other Russian-led supranational entities, Yatsenyuk also submitted a draft law to repeal Ukraine's non-bloc status previously instituted by Yanukovych. Following parliamentary elections in October 2014, the new government made joining NATO
2627-536: The Verkhovna Rada adopted a law on the free access of NATO forces to the territory of Ukraine. On 15 June 2004 in the second edition of the Military Doctrine of Ukraine, approved by the decree of Kuchma, a provision appeared on the implementation by Ukraine of a policy of Euro-Atlantic integration, the ultimate goal of which was to join NATO. However, already on 15 July 2004, following a meeting of
2698-554: The alliance without referring to MAP. At the NATO-Ukraine consultations at the level of Defense Ministers held at the NATO headquarters in Brussels in November 2009, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen praised Ukraine's first Annual National Program, which outlined the steps it intended to take to accelerate internal reform and alignment with Euro-Atlantic standards, as an important step on Ukraine's path to becoming
2769-496: The alliance. The summit was held in the context of an ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine . In his January 2023 address to the Lithuanian Parliament , President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the summit as fateful . Ukraine expressed the desire to be formally invited to NATO at the Vilnius summit. On 8 July 2023, US President Joe Biden said that Ukraine is not ready to join NATO at that time. By
2840-516: The alliance. A Ukrainian public opinion poll of 6 May showed 37% in favor of joining NATO with 28% opposed and 34% undecided. On 9 July 1997 a NATO-Ukraine Commission was established. In 2002 relations of the governments of the United States and other NATO countries with Ukraine deteriorated after the Cassette Scandal revealed that Ukraine allegedly transferred a sophisticated Ukrainian defense system to Saddam Hussein 's Iraq . At
2911-550: The alliance." On 29 December 2014, Poroshenko vowed to hold a referendum on joining NATO . A number of joint military exercises were planned between NATO members and Ukraine in 2015. Among them were Operation Fearless Guardian (OFG) which totalled 2,200 participants, including 1,000 U.S. military. Initial personnel and equipment of the 173rd Airborne Brigade arrived in Yavoriv , Lviv Oblast , on 10 April 2015. OFG would train Ukraine's newly formed Ukraine National Guard under
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2982-474: The announcement, Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban , stated that Hungary would no longer block the entry of Sweden and would also support their membership into the defence bloc. On 11 July, the three Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) signed an agreement on joint airspace defense. On 11 July, a memorandum was signed between 11 nations and Ukraine to form the F-16 training coalition . As part of
3053-609: The beginning of 2008, the Ukrainian President , Prime Minister and head of parliament sent an official letter (the so-called "letter of three") to apply for the Membership Action Plan. At the beginning of 2008 the work of the Rada was blocked for two months due, according to at least one observer, to this letter. Ukrainian membership in NATO gained support from a number of NATO leaders. However, it
3124-476: The bill defines the principles of state policy on national security and defence as well as focusing on Ukraine's integration into the European security, economic and legal system; improvement in mutual relations with other states and eventual membership in EU and NATO . On 20 September 2018 the Ukrainian parliament approved amendments to the constitution that would make the accession of the country to NATO and
3195-595: The city of Sevastopol which housed the fleet's headquarters and main naval base , and in December the Russian Federation Council officially endorsed the claim. These Russian nationalist territorial claims spurred Ukraine to propose a "special partnership" with NATO in January 1997. On 7 May 1997 the official NATO Information and Documentation Center opened in Kyiv, aimed to foster transparency about
3266-455: The corresponding reorientation of military potentials, the reorganization of the system of military-industrial relations. Arrangements in the field of arms control may be affected.” After the Party of Regions received the largest number of votes in the 2006 Ukrainian parliamentary election and the new government, headed by Viktor Yushchenko's political rival Viktor Yanukovych, was formed, there
3337-593: The decision is up to Ukraine and NATO members, adding, "Russia has no right to establish a sphere of influence to try to control their neighbors." Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 after Russia's president, Vladimir Putin , falsely claimed that NATO was using Ukraine to threaten Russia. Ukraine applied for NATO membership in September 2022 after Russia proclaimed it had annexed the country's southeast . Polls held before 2014 found low support among Ukrainians for NATO membership. However, Ukrainian public support for NATO membership has risen greatly during
3408-567: The dissolution of the Soviet Union. Ukraine-NATO ties gradually strengthened during the 1990s and 2000s, and Ukraine aimed to eventually join the alliance. Although co-operating with NATO, Ukraine remained a neutral country . After it was attacked by Russia in 2014, Ukraine has increasingly sought NATO membership. Ukraine joined NATO's Partnership for Peace in 1994 and the NATO-Ukraine Commission in 1997, then agreed
3479-399: The level of Heads of State and Government, including the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. On 10 January 2024, NATO called meeting of the new Ukraine Council on the request of Ukraine amidst massive Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure. This followed Allies to further pledge additional air defence systems to Ukraine. On 4 April, another meeting of
3550-626: The logistic and standardization systems, €845,000 – for physical rehabilitation and prostheses, €815,000 for cyber defense, and €410,000 for retraining and resettlement. In March 2016, President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker stated that it would take at least 20–25 years for Ukraine to join the EU and NATO. In July 2016 NATO published a summary of the Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine (CAPU) after
3621-566: The new government did not seek to change its neutral status. Russia then occupied and annexed Crimea , and in August 2014 Russia's military invaded eastern Ukraine to support its separatist proxies . Because of this, in December 2014 Ukraine's parliament voted to end its neutral status, and in 2018 it voted to enshrine the goal of NATO membership in the Constitution . Russian opposition to Ukrainian NATO membership has grown during
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#17327905272623692-410: The opening of negotiations on a MAP with NATO. In that same month President Poroshenko began proposing a 'patronage system', tying individual regions with European States. On 10 March 2018 NATO added Ukraine in the list of NATO aspiring members (others including Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia ). Several months later, in late June, Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada passed a National Security bill:
3763-399: The presidents of Ukraine and the United States said that Washington supported the proposal to start an intensive dialogue on Ukraine's accession to the NATO via a MAP. In April 2005, Viktor Yushchenko returned to Ukraine's military doctrine the mention of Ukraine's strategic goal – "full membership in NATO and the European Union." The new text read as follows: "Based on the fact that NATO and
3834-441: The public continued opposing the move. Later that year the Ukrainian government started an information campaign, aimed at informing the Ukrainian people about the benefits of membership. In January 2008, US Senator Richard Lugar said: "Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and Parliamentary chairman Arsenii Yatsenyuk have signed the statement calling for consideration on Ukraine's entry into
3905-715: The quadripartite Memorandum on security assurances in connection with Ukraine's accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons on 5 December. The memorandum prohibited the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States from threatening or using military force or economic coercion against Ukraine, "except in self-defence or otherwise in accordance with the Charter of
3976-514: The ratification process and allow the accession of Sweden before the summit. However, due to Turkish objections, it was unclear if Turkey would support Sweden's application by the time of the summit. Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea attended the summit to strengthen their ties with NATO due to increasing tensions with China and Russia. According to a representative of the Dignitary Protection Service of Lithuania, 40 heads of state and up to 150 other high-ranking officials will attend
4047-455: The representative of the NATO Secretary General, James Appathurai , stated that all members of the alliance support the speedy integration of Ukraine into NATO. Russia, for its part, expressed concern about this development. As the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Mikhail Kamynin stated, "de facto, we will talk about a serious military-political shift affecting the interests of Russia, which will require significant funds for
4118-402: The signed memorandum, Ukrainian pilots, technicians, and support personnel will participate in the training program. The coalition consisted of Canada, Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg , the Netherlands, Norway , Poland , Portugal, Romania, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. According to the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin , Denmark and the Netherlands took leadership of the formed coalition and
4189-424: The summit and will require personal protection. To ensure the safety and security, Lithuania committed around 1,500 police officers, including the anti-terrorist unit ARAS and the Criminal Police Bureau , as well as over 3,000 troops of the Lithuanian Armed Forces . Additionally, police officers from Latvia and Poland aided in security and around 1,000 troops from NATO states additionally joined as well, including
4260-451: The summit, Biden gave a speech at Vilnius University that touched on themes of unity between liberal democracies in the face of Russian aggression. In a 12 July CNN interview, Boris Johnson , prime minister of the United Kingdom at the onset of the war, criticized the ambiguity about Ukraine's future membership and supported President Biden's decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine. British Secretary of Defence Ben Wallace made
4331-531: The time of the summit there were 24 member states that had formally declared their support for Ukraine's NATO membership . Before the summit, on 4 July 2023, the former President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė criticized the Western leaders who failed to prevent the Russian aggression and said that the refusal to invite Ukraine to NATO would be a mistake. Following the accession of Finland to NATO earlier in 2023, there had been an expectation among many NATO member states that Turkey and Hungary will complete
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#17327905272624402-624: The time. However, the Bush administration seemed not to push for Georgian and Ukrainian MAPs in late November 2008. Condoleezza Rice told a press conference, "We believe that the NATO-Georgia Commission and the NATO-Ukraine Commission can be the bodies with which we intensify our dialogue and our activities. And, therefore, there does not need at this point in time to be any discussion of MAP." President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev responded that "reason has prevailed." On 3 December 2008 NATO decided on an Annual National Programme of providing assistance to Ukraine to implement reforms required to accede
4473-458: The two nations are to outline the training plan. Stoltenberg stated that Ukraine will not become a NATO member while the Russo-Ukrainian War remains ongoing and that the summit was not meant to be a formal invitation for it to join NATO, although countries remain divided on whether Ukraine should be able to join after the war ends. Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he wanted NATO to allow Ukraine to join as soon as possible after
4544-642: The war ends. However, other nations feared that such quick admittance of Ukraine to NATO could potentially increase Russian aggression and drag out the war even farther. Stoltenberg has also stated that he expects the summit to create a program of long-term aid over several years for Ukraine: "We have already pledged 500 million euros [US$ 548m] for critical needs, including fuel, medical supplies, de-mining equipment and pontoon bridges. We will also help build Ukraine's security and defence sector, including with military hospitals. And we will help Ukraine transition from Soviet-era to NATO equipment and standards." Following
4615-405: Was "no question of Ukraine joining NATO." He said the issue of Ukrainian membership of NATO might "emerge at some point, but we will not see it in the immediate future." On 1 March 2010, during his visit to Brussels , Yanukovych said that there would be no change to Ukraine's status as a member of the alliance's outreach program. He later reiterated during a trip to Moscow that Ukraine would remain
4686-622: Was a powerful statement, one person cannot guarantee membership, especially before a country has applied for membership. Each existing member must approve an applicant country before NATO membership can be attained, in addition, conditions can be set on applicant countries before joining the organization. Resistance was reportedly met from France and Germany; Russia invaded Georgia less than four months later in August 2008. In November 2008, German Chancellor Angela Merkel , Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and Ukrainian minister of defence Anatoliy Hrytsenko doubted Ukraine would be granted
4757-464: Was a turn in Ukraine's foreign policy. By the end of 2006, not a single representative of the pro-presidential Our Ukraine bloc remained in the government. Viktor Yanukovych's foreign policy statements contradicted Yushchenko's course. Yanukovych's premiership ended following 2007 parliamentary election , when Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense Bloc formed a coalition government , with Yulia Tymoshenko as Prime Minister. At
4828-444: Was by invitation from NATO. The establishment of the NATO-Ukraine Council is a pivotal step in reinforcing the NATO-Ukraine partnership, demonstrating an elevated level of cooperation and integration as Ukraine continues its journey towards NATO membership and greater alignment with Euro-Atlantic standards. The inaugural meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council happened on 12 July 2023 at the NATO's 2023 Vilnius Summit . The Council met at
4899-522: Was established at the 2023 NATO Summit in Vilnius, replacing the NATO-Ukraine Commission, which had been the primary body for developing NATO-Ukraine relations since 1997. The Commission, formed the same year by the NATO-Ukraine Charter on a Distinctive Partnership signed in Madrid, was the primary decision-making body for NATO-Ukraine relations. It directed cooperative activities and ensured the Charter’s implementation, assessing and planning future developments. In December 2008, NATO Foreign Ministers introduced
4970-520: Was met with opposition from the opposition parties within Ukraine, who called for a national referendum on any steps towards further involvement with NATO. A petition of over 2 million signatures called for a referendum on Ukraine's membership proposal to join NATO. In February 2008 57.8% of Ukrainians supported the idea of a national referendum on joining NATO, against 38.6% in February 2007. Ukrainian politicians such as Yuriy Yekhanurov and Yulia Tymoshenko stated Ukraine would not join NATO as long as
5041-470: Was the first cooperation between NATO and Ukraine. The Constitution of Ukraine , adopted in 1996 and based upon the Declaration of Independence of 24 August 1991, contained the basic principles of non-coalition and future neutrality. Kuchma and Russian president Boris Yeltsin negotiated terms for dividing the Black Sea Fleet based in Ukraine's Crimean peninsula, signing an interim treaty on 10 June 1995. But Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov campaigned to claim
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