Ukraine will not make concessions on NATO accession during peace talks - Sybiha

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Ukraine will not give up on NATO accession during peace talks

Ukraine will not make concessions on the issue of joining NATO during the upcoming negotiations on ending the war.

This was stated by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in an interview with the European Parliament, Censor.NET reports.

"The only effective guarantee for Ukraine is NATO membership. Moreover, Ukraine's membership is a guarantee of NATO's security. In addition, Ukraine's full membership is also the cheapest option for NATO to ensure European security," the minister emphasized.

According to Sybiha, Ukraine has already gone through "alternative options."

"We saw how the Budapest Memorandum failed. The creation of any "gray zones" only leads to further aggravation. That is why Ukraine's membership in NATO is an unwavering priority and the only effective guarantee of security for our country," the Foreign Minister said.

Sybiha said that one of his foreign colleagues, who attended the Bucharest summit in 2008, where a decision to grant Ukraine and Georgia a Membership Action Plan could have been made, said that Putin directly threatened European leaders that he would occupy Ukraine if such a decision was made.

"As we know, the Alliance then showed weakness and historical short-sightedness. And what did we see later? Russia occupied Georgia, then occupied and annexed Crimea, and now we have a full-scale war. These mistakes must not be repeated. We need strong decisions that will create strategic guarantees of transatlantic security. And this is Ukraine's membership in NATO," he explained.

He added that other instruments, such as bilateral security agreements with partners, are part of Ukraine's preparation for NATO membership and a tool to strengthen it, but cannot replace membership.

Author: Екатерина Людвик