Fyodor Venislavsky, a member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and a representative of the President in the Constitutional Court, said that the country was strengthening its ties with NATO and had not had such close contacts with the alliance for a long time. RIA Novosti reported.

“The statements we hear from NATO leaders show that Ukraine is moving closer to NATO. This is what Putin does not expect,” Venislavsky said.

It should be noted that former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen had earlier stated that in order to join the alliance, Ukraine must meet a number of criteria, the implementation of which will take a long time. Experts believe that in the next 20 years Kiev will not be able to apply for NATO membership.