Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the UN: NATO accession is not a priority right now
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Ukraine's accession to NATO is still on the agenda, but it is not of central importance at the moment. The most important issue is security guarantees, said Andriy Melnyk, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, in an interview with the Berliner Morgenpost.
According to Melnyk, an agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine should go beyond "purely political promises" similar to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum.
"Our partners must carefully record what military means they will use to defend Ukraine if Russia attacks it again," the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN emphasized.
He clarified that security guarantees can be both bilateral and multilateral agreements with the European Union and NATO countries.
Ukraine needs "firm commitments" from defense partners. These are mandatory under international law in the event that Ukraine is again threatened or attacked by Russia.
In addition, security guarantees could be part of a larger peace treaty with Russia, Melnyk noted.
- On December 3, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Ukraine officially rejects all alternatives to joining NATO.
- The Wall Street Journal reported on December 12 that Trump wants European troops to monitor a possible ceasefire in Ukraine.
- On December 16, former Foreign Minister Kuleba said that Ukraine would be in NATO in 10-20 years. He also supported the idea of peacekeepers.
