Unlike the Moldovan Constitution, the Ukrainian one doesn't contain a neutrality clause, and a year and a half into the “Russian aggression”, more and more Ukrainians are in favor of NATO membership. This was stated by Ukrainian charge d'affaires to Moldova Gennady Altuhov in an interview with Radio Moldova.
The diplomat added that most Ukrainians seek closer ties with the EU as well, this being
“the consequence of the Russian aggression against Ukraine”.
“People in Ukraine can see very clearly that without the support of the European partners, and the rest of the world, Ukraine will be completely swallowed up by Russia and will lose its ability to choose its own domestic and foreign policies”, said Altuhov, adding:
“We need more active support, including delivery of arms to be able to stop Russian invasion and protect European values”.
The diplomat said that the Russian aggression united all the ethnic groups in Ukraine and all they want is to see their country defended. “We don't see other ethnicities to have other positions”, says Ghennady Altuhov.
The diplomat said that Ukraine had been under direct pressure from the Kremlin to choose the Russia-centered Eurasian project over the EU. “It's not a secret. There were public statements and direct political actions to achieve this; there were embargoes against key Ukrainian exports. In fact, the same was done in relation to Moldova”.
Related to Ukraine's aspiration to obtain a visa-free regime with the European Union, Altuhov admitted this is a big issue for his country, which regretfully is still far from achieving this. Unlike Moldova, which has been issuing only biometric passports since 2011, Ukraine initiated this only this year and just a few thousand out of 45 million Ukrainians hold such passports.
