Ukraine will not accept any alternative to full membership in NATO – Foreign Ministry statement. Zelensky identified the two most difficult fronts on the ground.
Ukraine will not accept any alternative to full NATO membership – Foreign Ministry statement
Ukraine will not accept any “alternative, substitute or ersatz” to full membership in NATO, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Budapest Memorandum. This statement was made public on the eve of the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting, scheduled for December 3, as well as the meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels on December 3-4.
The ministry recalled that December 5, 2024 will mark 30 years since the signing of the Memorandum on Security Guarantees, in connection with Ukraine’s accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. This document aimed to guarantee the security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine in exchange for its renunciation of the third largest nuclear arsenal in the world by its potential.
“However, in 2014, the Russian Federation, which was one of the guarantors of Ukraine’s security according to the Budapest Memorandum, grossly ignored this document as well as international law, launching aggression against Ukraine that turned into a large-scale invasion in 2022,” the ministry said.
The Foreign Ministry stressed that failure to fulfill the commitments of the Budapest Memorandum has increased security threats not only for Ukraine, but also for other countries and regions.
“The lack of real and effective security guarantees for Ukraine in the 1990s was a strategic mistake that Moscow took advantage of. This error needs to be corrected. Ukraine must receive clear and legally binding security guarantees, commensurate with its significant contribution to global nuclear disarmament and the maintenance of international peace and security,” it was stated.
The ministry also called on the states parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to support the provision of effective security guarantees to Ukraine.
“We are convinced that the only real security guarantee for Ukraine, as well as a deterrent factor against further aggression by Russia, is Ukraine’s full membership in NATO. Building on the bitter experience of the Budapest Memorandum, we will not subscribe to any alternative, substitute or ersatz of this membership,” insisted the Ukrainian diplomats.
It is emphasized that Ukraine’s immediate invitation to NATO would be an effective response to Russian blackmail and would dissuade the Kremlin from any attempts to hinder Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration. It also represents a unique opportunity to “stop the erosion” of the fundamental principles of nuclear non-proliferation and restore confidence in nuclear disarmament.
Finally, the ministry added that the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Budapest Memorandum constitutes a favorable opportunity for a “decisive step” towards Ukraine’s accession to the Washington Treaty.
Zelensky identified the two most difficult axes on the front
President Volodymyr Zelensky received a report from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky, on Tuesday, December 3. According to this report, the Kurakhove and Pokrovsk axes remain the most difficult on the front.
“The directions of Kurakhove and Pokrovsk remain the most complicated. I thank every unit that destroys the occupiers and slows down the Russian advance,” the president said on Telegram.
Zelensky also noted encouraging defensive results in the Zaporizhzhia leadership. With Syrsky, they discussed the actions of Ukrainian units in the areas of the Kursk operation. “We continue to inflict significant losses on Russia on its own territory,” the president added.
Recall that on November 15, DeepState reported that the Kurakhove axis remained the most difficult on the front, with 690 clashes in two weeks. On November 27, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that the Russians had captured 43% of the town of Kurakhove.
According to the “Khortytsia” operational command, there are 625 residents left in Kurakhove. ISW analysts believe that Russian forces are trying to surround Ukrainian troops east of the O0510 road connecting Kurakhove to Velyka Novosilka, aiming to encircle the latter.
On November 30, DeepState noted that the situation in and around Kurakhove continued to deteriorate.
