On the eve of the 30th anniversary of the Budapest Memorandum, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement reaffirming the country’s demand for full NATO membership as the only sufficient security guarantee. Until then, Kyiv insists on receiving an immediate invitation to join the Alliance.
The Ministry described the Budapest Memorandum, signed on 5 December 1994, as a “monument to shortsightedness,” citing its failure to prevent Russian aggression despite assurances of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Memorandum, which facilitated Ukraine’s renunciation of its nuclear arsenal in exchange for security guarantees from the US, UK, and Russia, has been criticised for its lack of enforcement mechanisms.
The Ministry highlighted the dangers of Russia’s violation of the agreement, noting it undermined global confidence in nuclear disarmament and emboldened other regions to expand nuclear arsenals. “The failure to provide Ukraine with real, effective security guarantees in the 1990s was a strategic mistake that Moscow exploited,” the statement read.
Ukraine is now urging signatories and supporters of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) to back legally binding security assurances for Ukraine. However, the Ministry stressed that only full NATO membership can serve as a reliable deterrent to Russian aggression and a safeguard for international security.
“Having the bitter experience of the Budapest Memorandum behind us, we will not accept any alternatives, surrogates, or substitutes for Ukraine’s full membership in NATO,” the Ministry declared.
The Ministry also argued that extending a NATO invitation to Ukraine would weaken Russia’s blackmail tactics and demonstrate the Alliance’s commitment to Euro-Atlantic integration. This move, it added, could restore confidence in nuclear disarmament and prevent further erosion of global non-proliferation principles.
The statement comes as NATO foreign ministers prepare to meet, though reports suggest an immediate invitation to Ukraine is unlikely. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously called for an invitation as part of his Victory Plan, seeing it as a way to strengthen Ukraine’s position ahead of any negotiations with Russia.
The Budapest Memorandum marked Ukraine’s agreement to eliminate its nuclear weapons in return for assurances from the US, UK, and Russia that its sovereignty and borders would be respected. Russia’s subsequent violation of this agreement has cast doubt on its effectiveness, prompting Ukraine’s renewed push for NATO membership.