Ukraine already de facto a NATO member, says country’s defense minister

Reznikov said the Western countries that were previously concerned that military assistance could be seen by Russia as an escalation, have changed their "thinking approach."

Read also: Ukraine’s path towards NATO membership should persist despite war, Lithuania says

"Ukraine as a country, and the armed forces of Ukraine, have become (a) member of NATO," he said during the interview.

“De facto, not de jure (by law). Because we have weaponry, and the understanding of how to use it.”

During the interview, he claimed that Ukraine has inflicted on Russia casualties numbering 10 times those that Ukraine has suffered over the 10-month Russian full-scale invasion and war on Ukraine.

Read also: NATO chief says situation near Soledar and Bakhmut shows Ukraine needs more help

Reznikov also noted that he is confident that Kyiv will receive other, long-awaited weapons – including Western main battle tanks and fighter jets – as both Ukraine and Russia seem to be preparing for new offensives in the spring.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Sept. 30 that Ukraine was applying for fast-track NATO membership. The application document was signed by the president, along with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Ruslan Stefanchuk, the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament.

Read also: Ukraine already cooperates with NATO more closely than some of its actual members, says Reznikov

According to the advisor to the head of the President’s Office Mykhailo Podolyak, Ukraine held consultations with the alliance before submitting the application.

Ukraine’s application to formally join the Western defense alliance has been in the works for months already.

The presidents of nine NATO member states (Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania and Slovakia) on Oct. 2 called for "a significant increase in military assistance to Ukraine" and supported its accession to the alliance.

Read also: Ukraine’s application for NATO membership will reach Brussels soon, says Stefanishyna

Zelenskyy’s administration reported on Oct. 4 that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had received Ukraine's application. It is to be considered in Brussels at the level of ambassadors of NATO member states.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine