Expert: No progress expected in Ukraine’s joining NATO until political elite is replaced

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“From year to year we have been speaking about Ukraine’s joining NATO; but from year to year people’s awareness of it has been declining instead of increasing; various speculations are taking place on the level of Ukraine’s political elite; Ukrainian oligarchs are in perfect conditions: the situation ‘half in Russia, half in NATO’ suits them well,” Head of the Democratic Initiatives Foundation Ilya Kucherov announced at a session of Ukraine-NATO Public League assembly yesterday.

“There will be no progress in Ukraine, until interests of the political elite change. NATO information campaign should be treated in a broader context, as implementation of Ukraine’s national interests,” he stressed.

According to Kucherov, the problem is as well that in fact Ukraine’s national interests are not set in a form that would be comprehensible for those, who defend them; besides, it is necessary to come to a consensus regarding those interests.

As the expert says, results of recent poll conducted by him revealed a situation similar to the one in Slovakia: why join NATO, if they can join the European Union immediately and save money at that.

He stressed that there are a lot of data in public polls regarding Ukraine’s joining NATO, but they are not systematized. Under data by the end of 2006, 20-24% of respondents say that they would vote for joining NATO, 50% are against it. As the head of the Democratic Initiatives Foundation believes, politicians are to blame for it, as there has been no information campaign.