Ukraine became a de facto member state of NATO because Western countries, which initially feared that providing military assistance to Kiev could have led to the escalation of the conflict, changed their „view” of the war, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in an interview with BBC, EFE reports, Agerpres reads.

Reznikov said he was convinced Ukraine would receive weapons, including tanks and fighter jets. „This concern about the next level of escalation is, in my opinion, a kind of protocol. Ukraine as a country and the armed forces of Ukraine have turned into a member of NATO. De facto, not ‘de jure’. For that we have weaponry and understand how to use it,” he added.

Russia has claimed that it is actually fighting the North Atlantic alliance in Ukraine, given that the West supplied weapons to Kiev after the Russian invasion almost a year ago.

Ukraine has been trying to join NATO for years, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pushed for express membership, which Russian President Vladimir Putin sees as a threat to Russia’s security.

Agerpres