Ukrainian vice-premiers to Germans: We are not a buffer from Russia
Ukraine is not a buffer between NATO and Russia, it is “part of Western civilization,” a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
This opinion was expressed by Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Dmitry Kuleba in an interview with Euractiv.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, there is evidence that support for Ukraine's membership in the EU is constantly growing.
“With NATO everything is more complicated. But if you look at the polls, you will also easily notice that the number of people who support Ukraine's membership in NATO is growing, including in eastern Ukraine, where the most obvious opposition to NATO has previously been recorded. And we have Russia to thank for this. They helped us a lot. Because the best arguments in favor of joining NATO are the presence of an occupying army on your territory,” he noted.
When asked how he reacts to those Western politicians who say that Ukraine should not become a member of NATO because a buffer from Russia is needed, Kuleba said that he would like “for them to become a buffer for Russia.”
“We are not a buffer for Russia. We are part of Western civilization. We are part of Europe. And we made our choice. We are moving towards full membership in the EU and NATO. I don't care whether the EU and NATO are ready to accept us right now or in the short term, but I see no strategic objection to membership in the medium and long term... In my conversations, even in the most confidential conversations I've had, I have never I have heard suggestions that we should be a buffer between Russia and the rest of the world. Moreover, I think that we should not overestimate Russia in its current form,” he added.
When asked about criticism of the new government that it is too ambitious or not ambitious enough towards NATO, Kuleba said:
“Well, Ukraine has a living democracy. And, of course, we have enough points of view and opinions about how ambitious Ukraine should be on this or that path. My opinion, which I express to all factions in parliament, all of them, I may have personal sympathy or disrespect for some specific members of parliament for what they do or say, but I really respect them as people who are elected by the people of Ukraine. And my message to all of them is the same, be it the ruling party or any opposition. Ukraine's European integration must remain above internal unrest, conflict and political strife. This is what should unite us, because European integration is what unites the people of Ukraine.”
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