NATO lack of progress frustrating Ukraine
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expresses his frustration over NATO and the EU's reluctance on Kiev's membership in both blocs.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday expressed frustration over NATO's reluctance to accelerate Kiev's membership in the alliance.
Kiev also voiced disappointment over the similar situation with the European Union, as Ukraine wants to join the bloc, but it is also frustrated with its reluctance to speed up its membership.
Kiev has long been seeking membership in the US-led alliance, and western nations say Kiev is not joining it any time soon.
"We cannot accept the theory that is now very popular about (Ukraine joining) the EU in 30 years and NATO sometime in about 50 years. It demotivates us and slows us down," Zelensky said during a meeting with Ukrainian ambassadors.
Ukraine wants to "get a very clear timeline" from NATO regarding its membership in the alliance, he asserted.
Zelensky underscored that Kiev wants to get the timeline in 2022.
Less than two weeks ago, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg rejected Russia's demand that the West revoke Ukraine's offer to join the alliance.
Moscow had asked Washington for security guarantees in the light of the incessant attempts by the United States and NATO to change the military and political situation in Europe in their favor.
Russia sees the possibility of Ukraine joining the alliance as a "red line".
Kremlin also rejects all the Western allegations about Moscow's intention to take military action against Ukraine.
Russia is threatened by NATO, "Which is arming Kiev and increasingly deploying aircraft and warships in the Black Sea," Kremlin previously said.
Poll: Americans don’t want war with Russia over Ukraine
A new poll has revealed that Americans don’t want the US to go to war to defend the former Soviet Republic. The majority preferred that US leaders focus on domestic issues, which are many and require handling.
This comes amid mounting tensions in Eastern Europe and after repeated US claims that the Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to invade Ukraine, which Putin repeatedly denied, accusing, in his turn, the US and NATO of military buildup and provocations on the Ukrainian border.
According to the survey conducted by YouGov, in conjunction with the Charles Koch Institute, the majority of the Americans, 48%, said they are either strongly or somewhat against “going to war with Russia to protect Ukraine’s territorial integrity” should Russia invade the country. Only 27% favored such a move, while 24% said they didn’t know.
Meanwhile, 73% agreed that the United States “should prioritize domestic issues over foreign policy issues,” whereas only 7% agreed that foreign policy should be prioritized.
