Ukraine’s ambassador to Ankara, Vasyl Bodnar, has said that his country is in no hurry to join NATO for the time being, commenting on the ongoing conflict with Russia.
Bodnar, who gave an interview to the Yeni Şafak newspaper, said: “There is actually nothing new about the NATO membership process. But we are grateful to Turkey in this process. President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan has said that Ukraine deserves NATO membership. What we really want is for the conditions to be created for us to join NATO. We are waiting for a date,” said Bodnar.
“At the moment Ukraine has no demands to join NATO. We want to get an answer on the date at the NATO summit in Washington. Our message is very clear. We want our membership to be assessed after the war. We are not insisting on this. Ukraine only needs weapons at the moment,” he said.
Noting that Turkey is already the main power in the Black Sea, Bodnar continued:
“So far, 1140 ships have passed through the grain corridor, which Ukraine maintains independently. In 7 months, 33.8 million tonnes of products have been transported, including 23.1 million tonnes of grain. These products have been sent to 40 countries. This route is more useful for us than the previous one. There are no restrictions. Security in the region is also very important. Turkey’s initiative for mine clearance in the Black Sea is very important at this point. And we think it is an initiative that will actually save the passage of ships in the region. Turkey also gives priority to the security of the Black Sea”.
The ambassador also spoke about Turkey’s future involvement in the reconstruction of Ukraine.
“Roads, bridges and infrastructure in Ukraine have been damaged by the war. Contacts with Turkey for their reconstruction are ongoing,” Bodnar said.
Explaining that they had met with Trade Minister Ömer Bolat in January about a group of experts coming to Ukraine, Bodnar said, “We need to do the groundwork and make sure these companies go to reliable regions. Now the first step is Minister Bolat’s visit to Ukraine. Of course, there will be visits from our side as preparatory work. There are also meetings between the governors of Kiev and Ankara. There are contacts between governors and municipalities. There are plans for joint work,” he added.
