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The issue of Ukraine's security remains on the agenda, even if joining NATO is not yet a realistic option. Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Andriy Melnyk said that the first priority is guarantees of protection from partners in the event of a new Russian attack. Melnyk stressed the importance of clearly defined military commitments from Western allies to avoid a repeat of the Budapest Memorandum. Andrii Melnyk, the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN, stated this in an interview with the Berliner Morgenpost.
In the event of a new Russian attack on Ukraine, Western partners must provide clear military guarantees, defining what means will be used to protect Ukraine. Andrii Melnyk noted that the issue of joining NATO is not a priority at the moment, but ensuring reliable security guarantees is an urgent task.
Melnyk emphasized that security guarantees can be both bilateral agreements with individual EU and NATO countries, and multilateral ones. An important aspect is that these guarantees should be spelled out in such a way that they operate within the framework of international law and are binding in the event of Russian aggression. Such agreements may also become part of a future peace treaty with Russia.
According to the diplomat, Ukraine needs "firm commitments" from Western partners in the field of defense in order to prevent the recurrence of a situation similar to the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, which failed to provide adequate protection of the country in the face of aggression.
