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Ukraine cannot join NATO amid fighting in its territory — EU commissioner

Thierry Breton described the situation as "a political demarche," and said that the request was "symbolic"

PARIS, October 6. /TASS/. Kiev cannot enter NATO amid combat operations currently underway in Ukraine, Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for Internal Market, told French BFM television on Thursday.

"[Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky has asked about membership in NATO, but, as you know, in order to join NATO, a country must not be at war, while Ukraine is a country at war, so, evidently, [at the moment] it is impossible," Breton said.

The politician described the situation as "a political demarche," and said that the request was "symbolic."

In late September, Zelensky signed an application for an accelerated accession to NATO. The bloc’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg declined to answer a direct question of whether the alliance would endorse that application.

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