Translated by Ollie Richardson & Angelina Siard

18:25:10
12/08/2018

novorosinform.org

The President of Ukraine Poroshenko intends to commit Ukraine’s integration into NATO and the EU to paper in the Constitution of Ukraine. For this purpose he will introduce the relevant bill in the Verkhovna Rada. The politician Oleg Tsarev explained why Poroshenko fights for this initiative very actively.

“Poroshenko looks for support among ‘right-wing’ voters. It is precisely from from here that bellicose statements towards Russia and the desire to document NATO aspirations in the Constitution grow.

There are no doubts that the current parliament will support Poroshenko concerning this matter – the structure of parliament is quite obvious. For the introduction of such amendments in the Constitution deputies have to vote during one session in a simple majority of 226 votes for sending to the Constitutional court amendments to the basic law. Then during the second session two thirds of parliament – 300 votes – will have to vote for these changes. If Poroshenko starts this procedure now, then he will be in the home stretch to presidential elections.

Now Poroshenko fights against Tymoshenko, Vakarchuk, and Gritsenko for the votes of those who speak in favour of cutting ties with Russia. It’s just that he understands that the voter who is orientated towards Russia won’t vote for him. And Poroshenko’s initiative to seek accession to the EU and NATO aims to try to at least stop his approval rating from further dropping.

We see that NATO doesn’t seek to include Ukraine into the structure of the alliance. If the alliance was going to accept Ukraine, then it would’ve happened immediately. NATO isn’t ready to accept a State whose army doesn’t conform to their standards. Especially since the costs of defense in NATO member states, at the initiative of Trump, only increase. Ukraine can’t do this. Also there is one more thing: if NATO includes Ukraine into its structure, then the alliance will join in with the settlement of the conflict in Donbass.

But Poroshenko’s initiative is aimed not so much at the end result as it is at raising his approval rating. Amendments to the Constitution don’t influence the accession or non-accession of Ukraine into NATO in any way. Such desires of Poroshenko are part of an electoral campaign. But if changes take place in parliament and are then enshrined in the Constitution, then the next government in Ukraine will follow the course into the EU and NATO. It will be extremely difficult to re-vote and change this decision”.

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