"We expect in Brussels it will be somehow outlined our prospects for future membership. I think that it will not be about the MAP, it will be aboutextended possibilities program.But it would be important also not to forget Georgia, because Ukraine goes with Georgia in one case. Although Georgia is slightly ahead of us. And as soon as Georgia receives the MAP, or an invitation to join the Alliance, one can expect that Ukraine will be the next," Martyniuk said.
The expert stressed that granting MAP to Georgia would mean "the break-through of the eastern flank of the Alliance's expansion."
According to Martyniuk, NATO is currently focusing on Western Balkans in its policy of enlargement: "Last year, Montenegro gained full membership in the Alliance, this year it is expected that Macedonia may receive an official invitation to join NATO."
At the same time, the expert pointed out that he "is far from thinking that Macedonia is internally more ready for membership in the Alliance than Ukraine."
He also noted that the declaration of the Brussels Summit should contain a phrase that the Alliance supports Ukraine's aspiration to acquire NATO membership.
Director of International Programs at the Centre for Global Studies"Strategy XXI" stressed that Ukraine should continue its course towards NATO, despite the lack of tangible progress on membership over the past 10 years: "We must follow this path, not to turn. Because the Alliance is looking at sustainability, the sustainability of foreign policy, internal transformations, relations between the country (Ukraine) and the Alliance. Therefore, if we follow irreversibly, then eventually it will lead us to membership in the Alliance".
Speaking about the ongoing internal transformations, Martyniuk, in particular, pointed out that the Alliance constantly emphasized - from the Secretary General to representatives in Ukraine - that reforms should be applied not only to the military sector, but also to a whole range of state institutions that are related to security."Ukraine had the following goal: to approve the law on national security before the NATO summit. So that with it, to say so, to come to Brussels. The law was eventually approved. But this is not enough, we need to look at its content ... It was assumed that the function of economic security will be taken away from the Security Service - but it is still in the Law,"- the expert said.
Speaking about cooperation with NATO, Martyniuk also pointed out that at the moment Ukraine "does not play, unfortunately, the role that it can play in contributing to the fight against hybrid threats," although each day counteracts these threats from the Russian Federation. According to him, for some reason, the European Center for Combating Hybrid Threats, contributors to which are NATO and the EU, was created in Helsinkiand not in Ukraine. "Today, I do not see the active cooperation of this Center with Ukraine. We should look at how to join this Center. And this should be done not only in terms of NATO membership prospects, butalso in terms of strengthening NATO-EU cooperation," he said.
