Ukraine is ‘de facto’ part of Nato, defence minister says
- Formal membership would require the rest of Nato to defend Ukraine – and Russia has already warned of the risks of a nuclear conflict erupting
- Oleksiy Reznikov is confident Western allies would shed their inhibitions about supplying Ukraine with heavier weapons such as tanks and fighter jets
Ukraine has effectively become a Nato member, its defence minister has said, despite the military alliance’s reluctance to get embroiled in a wider conflict with Russia.
Oleksiy Reznikov said he was confident that Western allies would shed their inhibitions about supplying Ukraine with heavier weapons such as tanks and fighter jets.
“This concern about the next level of escalation, for me, is some kind of protocol,” he told the BBC in an interview broadcast on Friday, dismissing Nato fears about provoking Russia.
“Ukraine as a country, and the armed forces of Ukraine, became (a) member of Nato”, the defence minister added. “De facto, not de jure (in law). Because we have weaponry, and the understanding of how to use it”.
Formal membership would require the rest of Nato to defend Ukraine – and Russia has already warned of the risks of a nuclear conflict erupting.