Ukraine to abandon NATO ambitions only if Alliance ceases to exist – Hetmanchuk

This was stated by the newly appointed Head of the Mission of Ukraine to NATO, Alyona Hetmanchuk, in a Facebook post, as reported by Ukrinform.

Hetmanchuk believes that NATO membership is the clearest and most direct route for Ukraine to firmly establish itself within the Euro-Atlantic system and to eliminate any imperial revival fantasies held by the Russian elite and society.

“That is why I’m deeply convinced that the only reason Ukraine might ever give up its NATO ambitions would be the absence of NATO itself. Or its destruction — either from within or externally — to the point where the Alliance is no longer attractive or relevant to Ukrainians,” she wrote.

The new head of Ukraine’s NATO Mission expressed confidence that such a scenario won’t happen and that Article 5 of the Washington Treaty remains effective, despite occasional temptations to undermine its credibility.

“The very fact that neither the USSR in the past nor modern-day Russia has dared to attack any NATO member speaks volumes. It leaves us with no right to assume otherwise,” she noted.

Hetmanchuk also emphasized that she is assuming her role at a time when Ukraine’s contribution to Euro-Atlantic security is at its highest since independence. Ukraine, she stressed, is no longer merely a petitioner but a country with the most capable and battle-hardened conventional forces.

“Alongside the renowned ‘NATO standards,’ new ‘Ukrainian standards’ are quietly emerging… In peacetime, we had more to learn from NATO. In wartime, NATO has much to learn from Ukraine. Russia’s war — if not conventional, then hybrid against NATO countries — is unfortunately gaining momentum,” the diplomat underlined.

As Ukrinform reported, on June 13, President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Alyona Hetmanchuk as Head of Mission of Ukraine to NATO.

Photo: facebook.com/alyona.getmanchuk