““We have already gone through alternative options.” Ukraine will not refuse to join NATO — Sybiga January 15, 13:54 Share: Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga (Photo: Leon Neal/Pool via REUTERS) Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiga said that the only effective guarantee for Ukraine is membership in NATO and rejected possible “alternatives” of joining the Alliance. He said this in an interview with European Pravda. Sybiga also”, — write on: ua.news
Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga (Photo: Leon Neal/Pool via REUTERS)
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiga stated that the only effective guarantee for Ukraine is membership in NATO and rejected possible “alternatives” of joining the Alliance.
He said this in an interview with European Truth.
Sybiga also emphasized that Ukraine’s membership is “the cheapest option for ensuring European security” and for NATO itself.
“We have already passed “alternative options. We saw how the Budapest Memorandum failed. Creating any ““gray zones” only leads to further aggravations. Therefore, Ukraine’s membership in NATO is an unshakable priority and the only effective guarantee of security for our country,” the minister emphasized.
He also stated that according to one foreign colleague who attended the summit in Bucharest in 2008, where a decision could be made to provide Ukraine and Georgia with an Action Plan on membership in the Alliance, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin directly threatened European leaders occupying Ukraine , if such a decision is made.
“As we know, then the Alliance showed weakness and historical short-sightedness. And what did we see then? Russia occupied Georgia, then occupied and annexed Crimea, and now we have a full-scale war. Those mistakes cannot be repeated. We need strong decisions that will create strategic guarantees for transatlantic security. And this is Ukraine’s membership in NATO,” Sybiga said.
The minister also emphasized that bilateral security agreements with partners are a component of Ukraine’s preparation for NATO membership and a strengthening tool, but do not replace membership.
Ukraine’s entry into NATO – what is known
On October 16, 2024, in an interview with Reuters, Ukrainian Ambassador to NATO Nataliya Halibarenko said that Ukraine is asking through diplomatic channels for an invitation to NATO until Joe Biden leaves the post of US president.
For his part, the president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Jerry Connolly, stated that Ukraine will be able to receive an invitation to NATO only after restoring sovereignty over its territories.
On November 24, the Bloomberg agency, citing its own sources, reported that the administration of Joe Biden considered the possibility of a public call for an official invitation of Ukraine to NATO – but after Donald Trump won the US presidential election in November 2024, it abandoned such an idea.
On December 1, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stated that only a part of the territory of Ukraine cannot receive an invitation to NATO, as this would be an automatic recognition that all other territories are not only in danger, but also not Ukrainian.
On December 3, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine announced that Ukraine would not accept any “alternatives, surrogates or substitutes” for full membership in NATO.
On December 18, the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, Mark Rutte, announced that the new NATO command, whose headquarters is located in the German city of Wiesbaden, has begun work on the coordination of Western military aid to Ukraine.
On January 7, Trump said that he “can understand” Russia’s position on Ukraine’s membership in NATO, and accused Joe Biden’s administration of provoking Russia’s war against Ukraine.