Yermak, Rasmussen discuss joint work to advance Ukraine on its path to NATO

Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the founder of Rasmussen Global, in a phone call on Saturday discussed joint work to advance Ukraine on its path to the North Atlantic Alliance.

That's according to the presidential press service, Ukrinform reports.

"Andriy Yermak and Anders Fogh Rasmussen agreed that sustained international support for Ukraine is crucial for the victory of our state over the aggressor," the report reads.

According to the report, both parties discussed joint efforts to advance Ukraine on the path to NATO and the country's contribution to Euro-Atlantic security.

Rasmussen underscored the importance of Ukraine's swift accession to NATO and stressed that membership in the Alliance should extend to all territories of Ukraine with full respect for its state sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He said the case with Germany he presented in his article in The Guardian should not be seen as undermining the fundamental principle of respect for Ukraine's territorial integrity.

Rasmussen earlier proposed that Ukraine join the military alliance without the territories temporarily occupied by Russia.