By RIA Novosti,
Kiev : The head of the Ukrainian presidential administration has said that Ukraine is unlikely to join NATO’s Membership Action Plan (MAP) this year.
“I believe this issue is off the agenda, and we all understand we will not join MAP,” Viktor Baloha said in an interview with Ukraine’s ICTV channel broadcast on Sunday.
NATO refused at its summit in April to let Georgia and Ukraine into MAP, a key step for membership to the 26-nation alliance, but pledged to review the decision in December. The countries had received strong U.S. backing for their bids.
Baloha said that “there is no consensus among the leading players” on the issue of Ukraine joining the alliance.
Last Friday Russia’s NATO envoy, Dmitry Rogozin, also said it was unlikely that NATO would let Ukraine and Georgia join MAP.
He said the alliance would probably produce “some kind of a partnership declaration,” to appease all the sides involved.
Russia strongly opposes NATO expansion into former Soviet territory.