Kiev's allies are at odds over how to speed up Ukraine's accession to NATO.
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| Ukraine clarifies its desire to join NATO. (Source: EPA) |
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on June 24 that he hopes Kiev will receive clear signs and a “formula” for its membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) when the military alliance holds a summit in Vilnius next month.
“I hope they can give us a clear and understandable signal and a formula for NATO membership,” Mr. Reznikov said.
The conference in Vilnius is scheduled to take place on July 11-12. Currently, Ukraine's allies do not have a common view on how to speed up Kiev's accession to the military bloc.
Meanwhile, some Western governments fear such moves could push NATO closer to a conflict with Russia.
Previously, on June 23, in a development related to the above organization, Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian army, General Milan Mojsilovic, urged NATO peacekeeping forces and other international agencies to speed up measures to protect the Serbian minority community in Kosovo.
In a rare speech, General Mojsilovic called for urgent action by NATO's peacekeeping mission in Kosovo (KFOR) and other international organizations.
“Because of the cooperation here, I informed the KFOR commander that we are following some events with concern, and see the need for urgent measures to protect the Serbs,” he stressed.
The call by General Milan Mojsilovic came after the European Union (EU), Serbia and Kosovo failed to achieve a breakthrough at the negotiating table.
Last month, violence broke out in several areas of Kosovo following disputes over a local election. Kosovo police arrested several Serbs who took part in post-election protests.
In response to this move, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic decided to deploy troops close to the Kosovo border.
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