You're reading: Poroshenko says Ukraine is not ready for NATO membership, alliance not ready to admit Ukraine

LVIV - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that his country is still not ready to become a member of NATO as the alliance is not ready to accept Ukraine.

“Is Ukraine ready to become a NATO member now? The answer is very simple – no. We should prepare for this. Is NATO ready for Ukraine to become its member? The answer will also be no. But I should say that all should be done to change Ukraine so that it would become a member of the European Union […] But the doors for Ukraine in NATO have remained open since 2008,” Poroshenko said at a joint briefing with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at Yavoriv training range in Lviv Oblast on Sept. 21.

For his part, Stoltenberg stressed that Ukraine could submit an application to join NATO after the ongoing reforms in the country are completed.

He said that NATO is working together with Ukraine to ensure these reforms meet NATO standards, and after the reforms are completed, Ukraine will decide on whether it wants to be a NATO member.

Stoltenberg also said that if Ukraine submits a membership application, it would be properly assessed.