Ukraine's top diplomat said Kiev is fighting long-lasting prejudices and misunderstandings about the consequences of his war-torn country joining NATO - and criticized Germany's former chancellor for blocking a bid 15 years ago.
NATO membership would not lead to another or greater war with Russia, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a joint interview with Politico and the German newspapers Bild and Die Welt.
Rather, he said, NATO membership was "the road to peace" - because Russia would not dare to again attack Ukraine once it was a member of the Western defence alliance.
Ukraine would then relieve NATO of the duty of defending its eastern flank, Kuleba promised: "We will take this burden on our shoulders."
According to Kuleba, Ukraine does not expect to join NATO while the war is still going. "But after the war, it would be suicidal for Europe not to accept Ukraine as a NATO member."
The only way to close the door to Russian aggression against Europe is to accept Ukraine as a member, he said.
With a view to the upcoming NATO summit in Lithuania in two weeks, he warned the German government not to obstruct his country's path into the alliance.
He called on Berlin not to repeat "the mistake Chancellor [Angela] Merkel made in Bucharest in 2008 when she fiercely resisted any progress for Ukraine's NATO membership."
The decision at that time had opened the door for Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Georgia and eventually the illegal annexation of Crimea, he contended.
At the 2008 summit, NATO states had offered Ukraine the prospect of membership, but then backed out due to fear of provoking Russia.
Merkel and France's then-president Nicolas Sarkozy blocked demands from other NATO partners for rapid accession.
