Ukraine's NATO membership still features on the agenda, but current diplomatic efforts are more focused on securing robust security guarantees, Andriy Melnyik, Ukraine’s newly appointed UN ambassador, told the Berliner Morgenpost.
Kyiv's leadership has consistently maintained that NATO membership is the only path to achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. However, they acknowledge that joining the alliance is unlikely before a ceasefire is in place. Now, Mr. Melnyk has revealed that
currently, Ukraine is focusing on ensuring proper defense guarantees, rather than directly pursuing NATO membership.
This marks a slight shift in rhetoric, as Ukraine's ministry of foreign affairs had previously rejected any security guarantees as a substitute for full NATO membership, Ukrainian-based The Kyiv Independent points out.
Our partners must carefully detail what military means they will employ to defend Ukraine if Russia attacks again,
– Mr. Melnyk said, emphasizing that they'll need more than "mere political promises," such as those outlined in the Budapest Memorandum.
Mr. Melnyk, who's previously served as ambassador to Germany and Brazil, explained that these guarantees could take the form of bilateral or multilateral agreements with EU and NATO member states and could also be incorporated into a comprehensive peace treaty to conclude the Russia-Ukraine war.
In 1994, Ukraine gave up its Soviet-era nuclear weapons under the Budapest Memorandum. In return, the United States and Russia, among others, pledged to recognize Ukraine's borders and ensure its security.
Cover photo: The NATO flag (Photo: NurPhoto via AFP)
