On Tuesday the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry published a statement declaring that the country would not accept any alternatives to joining NATO, stating that ‘security guarantees’ are not enough. At the same time, Ukrainian member of parliament Aleksey Goncharenko argued that even joining NATO is not enough, stating that Ukraine should have nuclear weapons.
“Having the bitter experience of the Budapest Memorandum behind us, we will not settle for any alternatives, surrogates, or substitutes for Ukraine’s full membership in NATO,” the statement said, according to the Kyiv Independent on Tuesday.
Foreign ministers of NATO member states are meeting in Brussels, Belgium December 3 and 4. Ukraine will also be in attendance. Ukraine hopes NATO will issue a membership invitation during the meeting. Reuters reported, however, that it is unlikely NATO membership will be granted.
“We are convinced that the only real security guarantee for Ukraine, as well as a deterrent factor for further Russian aggression against Ukraine and other states, is only Ukraine’s full membership in NATO,”the statement said, according to RT on Tuesday.
Russia has made it clear that one of their ‘red lines‘ is Ukraine joining NATO. Another one of Russia’s ‘red lines‘ is Ukraine being armed with nuclear weapons.
Ukrainian MP Goncharenko issued a statement on social media Tuesday, according to RT, which declared that even joining NATO is not enough for Ukraine. The country should ‘make the bomb and then figure things out’, he allegedly stated.
”NATO is a good thing. But NATO will not defend us. Nuclear weapons would,” Goncharenko wrote in response on social media Tuesday, according to RT. “So we should disregard everything and everyone and make the bomb. Then we’ll figure things out.”
Ukrainian ruler Vladimir Zelensky had previously called for nuclear weapons, then claimed he didn’t. It was later reported that Western officials were mulling giving Ukraine nuclear weapons, but have since allegedly backtracked on the idea.
Zelensky had previously outlined his ‘victory plan‘ which included NATO membership as well as three classified points.
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