Ukraine rejects all alternatives to joining NATO

This week marks the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's signing of the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances in exchange for the destruction of nuclear weapons. At present, Ukraine does not agree to any alternatives to full membership in NATO.

This was reported in a statement on the Foreign Ministry's website on Tuesday, December 3.

Ukraine's accession to NATO

The Ministry appealed to the United States and the United Kingdom, which signed the Budapest Memorandum, to France and China, which joined it, and to all states parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, to support the provision of effective security guarantees.

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

Ukraine has the bitter experience of the Budapest Memorandum behind it, so it will not accept any alternatives, surrogates or substitutes for full membership in NATO. The Foreign Ministry emphasized that the invitation to join the Alliance would be an effective counter to Russian blackmail and would deprive the Kremlin of illusions about its ability to impede Ukraine's integration.

"This is also the only chance to stop the erosion of the key principles of nuclear non-proliferation and restore confidence in nuclear disarmament," the ministry added.

Earlier, Reuters wrote that NATO countries are unlikely to heed Ukraine's request to join the Alliance at the next meeting.

At the same time, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine will not accept a partial invitation to join NATO because it would mean recognizing the occupied territories as Russian.