Kiev says NATO received Ukraine's application to join alliance

MOSCOW. Oct 5 (Interfax) - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has received Ukraine's application to join the North Atlantic Alliance, which was signed by President Vladimir Zelensky, Prime Minister Denis Shmygal and Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk last week, Ukrainian media reported, citing a statement by deputy head of the Ukrainian President's Office Igor Zhovkva.

"As of today, the NATO secretary general has received this application officially, by handing out a note to him. The next stage will be the discussion of this application at the level of the North Atlantic Council, that is, at the level of ambassadors of NATO member states in Brussels," he said at a briefing on Tuesday.

Zhovkva also added that Ukraine, based on the experience of Finland and Sweden's accession to the alliance, expects to be admitted to NATO without using the Membership Action Plan instrument. "The Ukrainian president and the diplomatic service are negotiating with NATO member states so that this application will be considered in practice," he said.

For his part, head of the Servant of the People pro-presidential faction in the Rada David Arahamia, whose post on social media is also quoted by the Ukrainian media, believes that the process of Ukraine's accession to NATO will be completed.

He noted that Ukraine's application to join the North Atlantic Alliance has already been backed by 11 countries, namely, Canada, Poland, Slovakia, Czechia, Romania, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Croatia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia.

"We are further collecting votes throughout the country," Arahamia said.

Russia has repeatedly called for giving up the idea of Ukraine joining NATO.