Ukraine, having the bitter experience of the Budapest Memorandum behind it, will not agree to any alternatives, surrogates, or substitutes for full NATO membership.
This is stated in a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Budapest Memorandum.
What path to NATO membership has Ukraine taken after applying for accelerated entryUkraine is awaiting an invitation to NATO at the summit in Washington. The infographic outlines the path taken towards membership after applying for accelerated entry.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes that the Budapest Memorandum failed to prevent aggression from Russia as a nuclear-armed state against Ukraine, which renounced its nuclear arsenal. Thus, the violation of the memorandum created a dangerous precedent, undermining trust in the very idea of nuclear disarmament.
The failure to fulfill the Budapest Memorandum has also led to a catastrophic increase in security threats not only for Ukraine but also for other countries and regions, particularly in Europe.
Today, the Budapest Memorandum stands as a monument to shortsightedness in making strategic security decisions, the Ministry stated.
“We are convinced that the only real guarantee of security for Ukraine, as well as a deterrent to further Russian aggression against Ukraine and other states, is full NATO membership for Ukraine. With the bitter experience of the Budapest Memorandum behind us, we will not accept any alternatives, surrogates, or substitutes for full NATO membership for Ukraine. An invitation for Ukraine to join NATO now would be an effective counter to Russian blackmail and would strip the Kremlin of any illusions about preventing Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration. This is also the only chance to halt the erosion of key principles of nuclear non-proliferation and restore trust in nuclear disarmament,” the statement reads.
Let us remind you that a meeting of NATO foreign ministers will take place on December 3-4. In a special letter, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga urged the Alliance to extend an invitation to Ukraine for membership.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky, discussing a conversation with Donald Trump, stated that Ukraine needs strong security guarantees that could be provided by nuclear weapons or NATO membership. Later, he denied intentions to restore the nuclear arsenal.