Telegraph: Ukraine is too corrupt to join NATO

Telegraph newspaper quoted a senior US State Department official as reporting that at next week’s NATO meeting in Washington, Ukraine will be told that to join the alliance “too much” is corrupt.

According to the Sputnik news agency, this newspaper reported today (Wednesday) that at the meeting, which is scheduled to be held in Washington from July 9 to 11, the NATO allies will ask Kiev to address corruption before the membership negotiations, “measures” do more”.

The US State Department official also said that this position will be expressed in writing in the NATO statement that will be signed at the July 9 meeting.

He noted: “We should both praise what Ukraine has done in this 2-year period for reforms and ask this country to take more measures in the field of reforms, because corruption in Ukraine is very high. And dealing with this procedure has a high priority for the coalition.”

In late September 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kiev would apply for fast-track NATO membership. Washington and its allies are yet to do so, according to reports citing US and European sources familiar with the matter. They have not decided to what extent they will be committed to Ukraine’s membership in NATO.

In early June, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia would declare a cease-fire and begin negotiations with Ukraine after Kiev withdraws from Russian-controlled territories in 2022 and formally abandons plans to join NATO. .