ISTANBUL

Ukraine said Friday that it will never accept any third country, including Russia, having a veto over Kyiv's NATO membership aspirations, amid ongoing divisions among alliance members on the issue.

Speaking to Ukrainian journalists in Brussels following a meeting of NATO foreign ministers and the Ukraine-NATO Council, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha stressed that Kyiv’s sovereignty includes the right to choose its alliances.

“There are fundamental things that the Ukrainian side will never accept. One of these is the impossibility of any third country having a veto on our aspirations,” he said. “This includes our intentions to join any union or alliance, including NATO.”

Sybiha acknowledged that there is currently no consensus among NATO members on Ukraine’s accession but dismissed the idea that this deadlock stems from external pressure.

“It is not about Russia or any other third country,” he said.

The minister underlined that Ukraine is continuing its efforts to align with NATO standards and prove its readiness, saying: “Ukrainian security and transatlantic security are indivisible. Our Constitution supports NATO membership, and so does the will of our people.”

He also noted that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not yet received an official invitation to attend the NATO summit in The Hague this June.