President Poroshenko understands perfectly well that there is no chance of Ukraine joining NATO, and therefore his statement about a referendum on joining the alliance is just a technology aimed at the pro-NATO electorate on the eve of potential elections.
Subscribe to PolitNavigator news at Telegram, Facebook, Classmates or In contact with
This opinion was expressed at a press conference in Kyiv by the director of the Kyiv Center for Political Research and Conflict Studies, Mikhail Pogrebinsky.
“Poroshenko is doing very poorly in all other areas,” the expert said, clarifying that Kiev has no achievements either on the domestic or foreign policy fronts, and the president himself does not rule out early parliamentary elections, for which it is necessary to come up with a “new banner” in the form slogan “I guarantee you NATO.”
“He told us a hundred times that he would end the war, achieve visa-free travel, and now he promises Ukraine membership in NATO. I personally know Pyotr Alekseevich and do not consider him an idiot. He understands perfectly well that there is no chance of any NATO for Ukraine, which means he needs this [statement on the referendum] instrumentally. There will be elections, and approximately 40 percent of respondents are in favor of NATO. This means that if he cuts out at least half of this 40 percent, he will be on his horse. You have to go with something. So this is a purely instrumental idea in the difficult situation in which Pyotr Alekseevich found himself,” Pogrebinsky emphasized.
At the same time, he added that he is 99 percent sure that there will be no referendum on NATO.