I asked Javier Solana Kiev whether it was possible for Ukraine to join the EU without joining NATO. His answer was clear: "Of course it can, why not?"

The Ukraine-NATO Relationship

Ukrainian press: Ukrainian analyst warns NATO membership brings additional threats.

14 August 2006

The question of whether or not Ukraine should join NATO is tainted by opinions formed under the pressure of Soviet propaganda and without regard for the bloc's role, a weekly has reported. The author said opinions both for and against membership are not based on rational, sober thought. He said NATO has changed substantially in the past 15 years and the NATO which the countries of Central and Eastern Europe joined and the NATO which Ukraine is planning to join are "two very different things". Membership could even pose new threats to Ukraine stemming from international terrorism directed against NATO, he said noting such threats were "hypothetical" for Ukraine in its present, unaligned state. He said Ukraine could still join the EU, even if it did not join NATO. The following is an excerpt of the article by Andriy Fialko, entitled "Ukraine-NATO: You remember how it all began...on something important without emotion", published in Zerkalo Nedeli on 5 August, subheadings have been inserted editorially:

And so the entire world argues about 1,000 things, when all the pros and cons are equally false. He who backs up his talk with provocative behaviour and a high tone merely proves the weakness of his arguments.

M. Monten, Experiences

STANCE ON NATO STILL NOT CLEAR

For those citizens of our country who are exhausted by the sun and tired of the interminable and ever more depressing political serial, many questions which just yesterday seemed topical and provoked harsh discussion have been pushed into second place. And the establishment of the anti-crisis coalition could push them back even farther.

Ukraine's prospects for joining NATO undoubtedly belongs to the number of such questions.

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