KYIV. Feb 18 (Interfax) - Ukraine has been moving toward NATO membership for a long time, but there is no progress in its Euro-Atlantic integration thus far, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"And this is not a philosophical question, but there are concrete reasons: it's because of counteraction by Russia, which doesn't want Ukraine to become a NATO member, as well as by some alliance member states. And there is no secret about that," the presidential press service quoted Zelensky as telling journalists in Mariupol in the Donetsk region on Thursday.
"The question of NATO is among those for which pressure is being put on Ukraine. The key issue is Ukraine's independence and its independent choice in any matters, and Ukraine has been struggling for its right to this for many years," he said.
On the other hand, Russia is currently using the NATO factor to rationalize the fact that its troops have been massed on Ukrainian borders, and some European countries "are playing along with it in this."
"But don't misrepresent things. It's our territory that has been occupied, and it's on our borders that an army is staying," he said.
Ukraine's geopolitical course is stipulated in its constitution and is truly a people's choice, he said.
"But the Ukrainian people cannot choose when we can be there, because this depends not only on us, as 30 countries have to unanimously reach a consensus on this decision," Zelensky said.
He said a referendum on joining NATO is not under consideration at the moment.