Ukraine rejects substitute guarantees for NATO membership, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga intends to present this position during the NATO ministerial meeting, which starts today, December 3, in Brussels.

This is stated in the corresponding statement on the website of the foreign ministry.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry notes that the statement was made "on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Budapest Memorandum," although the document was published two days before the mentioned date (which will be December 5), and the choice of publication day is not coincidental.

The extensive statement from the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry is formatted as a political position document, beginning with mentions of expectations from the so-called "Budapest Memorandum," signed in 1994 as part of the agreement for Ukraine to renounce its nuclear arsenal.

"The Memorandum was supposed to be a significant step in strengthening global nuclear disarmament and serve as an example for other states to abandon nuclear weapons... However, it failed to prevent the aggression of the Russian Federation as a nuclear-armed state against Ukraine, which renounced its nuclear arsenal," the ministry reminded.

The Budapest Memorandum was described by the Foreign Ministry as a "monument to shortsightedness in making strategic security decisions" and noted that "developing the European security architecture at the expense of Ukraine's interests, rather than considering them, is doomed to failure."

The main part of the statement contains a political declaration on what guarantees are potentially acceptable for Ukraine.

"We are convinced that the only real security guarantee for Ukraine, as well as a deterrent to further Russian aggression against Ukraine and other states, is only full-fledged NATO membership for Ukraine," the statement said.

At the same time, the document notes that Ukraine preemptively renounces any formats alternative to membership.

"Having the bitter experience of the Budapest Memorandum behind us, we will not accept any alternatives, surrogates, or substitutes for full-fledged NATO membership for Ukraine," the Foreign Ministry stated.

In all security agreements with other states signed by Ukraine in 2024, it is emphasized that they do not serve as substitutes for NATO membership, and therefore do not fall under that definition.

The foreign ministry appeals to "the USA and the UK, which signed the Budapest Memorandum, to France and China, which joined it, and to all states participating in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons," calling for political support for Ukraine's NATO invitation right now, which would be "an effective counter to Russian blackmail."

The Foreign Ministry also reminded that this issue concerns not only Ukrainian but also European security, as the attack on Ukraine, contrary to the agreements of 1994, "undermined confidence in the very idea of nuclear disarmament" and revived "active attempts by various countries from the Indo-Pacific region and the Middle East to the Euro-Atlantic space to create or expand existing nuclear arsenals."

Earlier, we reported that the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) is unlikely to hearken to Ukraine's call for an invitation to membership at the meeting on December 3.

Let us remind you that today, December 3, a two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers will begin. One of the topics will be the situation in Ukraine and the war with the Russian Federation.

Earlier, Ukraine appealed to NATO with a request for an invitation to join the Alliance at the foreign ministers' meeting, which will take place on December 3-4, 2024, in Brussels.

The best security guarantees for Ukraine are membership in the EU and NATO. However, Ukraine will not agree to an invitation to NATO covering only part of its territory, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated.

All insider information and current updates can be found on our Telegram channel, along with bonuses and quick news.