Ukraine slams ‘failed’ 1994 security guarantee, calls for NATO membership | Russia-Ukraine war News

Ukraine has criticized the 30-year-old security agreement as it bids for NATO membership again.

On Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry in Kyiv criticized the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, in which the newly independent country gave up nuclear weapons to the world’s third largest nuclear power in order to ensure security from Russia and the West.

Criticism of the “short-sighted” deal came ahead of a NATO meeting expected to discuss a possible escalation of de-escalation talks with Russia.

“We are convinced that the only real guarantee of Ukraine’s security, and prevention of further Russian aggression against Ukraine and other states, is Ukraine’s full membership in NATO,” the Foreign Ministry statement read.

The Budapest agreement – signed by the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan – was “a reminder of disagreements in security decision-making”, he continued.

“Not providing Ukraine with real, effective security guarantees in the 1990s was a strategic mistake exploited by Moscow. This mistake must be corrected.”

The message, which marks the 30th anniversary of the pact this week, came as NATO ministers gathered in Brussels to discuss the conflict in Ukraine, where Russia has made recent successes on the battlefield.

Forced conversations

With Donald Trump’s impending return to the White House raising uncertainty about US support, Kyiv fears being forced to the negotiating table.

As well as the “failed” Budapest Memorandum, the Ukrainian government has criticized the Minsk agreements, which implemented a poor ceasefire following Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and subsequent fighting with pro-Russian rebels in the east of the country.

“Enough with the Budapest Memorandum. Enough of the Minsk agreements. Twice is enough, we will not fall into the same trap a third time,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Amidst these fears of an enforced ceasefire that would leave part of Ukraine under Russian control and the rest of the country threatened with future violence, Kyiv is appealing to NATO with increasing urgency for an invitation to officially join the security alliance.

“With the painful experience of the Budapest Memorandum behind us, we will not accept any other means, representatives or substitutes for Ukraine’s full membership in NATO,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Inviting Ukraine to join NATO now will be an effective countermeasure to Russia’s fraud and will deprive the Kremlin of illusions about the possibility of preventing Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration,” it added.

“And it is the only chance to stop the erosion of the fundamental principles of nuclear non-proliferation and to restore confidence in nuclear disarmament.”

Kyiv’s demands for tighter security guarantees have grown in urgency since the election of Trump, who has promised to end the war quickly, suggesting Ukraine may make a tougher deal or risk losing US military support.

“We are preparing for the worst case, when [Trump] he stops all supplies,” Lieutenant General Ihor Romanenko, former deputy chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, recently told Al Jazeera.

Looking ahead to Trump’s presidency, Zelenskyy said that the country is ready to negotiate but must do so with strong forces, such as NATO membership and other security guarantees.

“There will be no submission from the Ukrainian side,” Zelenskyy said at Sunday’s news conference, admitting that “we have to find diplomatic solutions”.

The war in Ukraine, now in its third year, has killed or wounded hundreds of thousands of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers, and created personnel problems for both sides.

Russia, which has brought in thousands of fighters from North Korea to bolster its war effort, views Ukraine’s integration with NATO as a disgrace and says it is an unacceptable security threat.

Ukraine said on Tuesday it had rescinded the Russian military’s request to cross the Oskil River, which has long been a front line in the east.

“Because of the successful operation, the enemy has been destroyed. The right bank of the Oskil River is under the control of the Defense Forces,” the Ukrainian military said in a statement.

Kyiv also reported that it shot down 22 of the 28 drones that Russia fired overnight at critical infrastructure in the western Ternopil and Rivne regions.

As has been the case every winter since its invasion in February 2022, Russia has targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, causing blackouts across the country as temperatures drop.