Kiev admits the possibility of considering the issue of refusing to join NATO in order to avoid a war with Russia. This was stated by the Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK Vadym Prystaiko, an excerpt from the relevant interview was published in Twitter BBC Radio 5 Live.
Ukraine expressed readiness for serious concessions
In response to the host’s question about whether official Kiev could consider renouncing membership in the North Atlantic Alliance, the diplomat replied that the Ukrainian authorities could do this. He stressed that Ukraine was pushed in every possible way to such a decision not only from Moscow, but also from NATO, including threats.
We are flexible in finding the best way out, if we have to make some serious concessions, this is what we could do
Vadym Prystaiko Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK
Prystaiko noted that at the moment the population of Ukraine is wondering how the country can survive if a military aggravation begins. “Can we defuse the current situation by remaining unprotected and not part of any alliance when all our friends and neighbors are already members of the organization?” he clarified.
The words of the ambassador were called taken out of context
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry considered Prystaiko’s words about a possible refusal to join NATO taken out of context. So, the official representative of the Foreign Ministry, Oleg Nikolenko, said that the key issue for Kiev is the issue of security guarantees, and the best guarantee in this situation, according to him, would be immediate entry into the alliance.
“For the sake of peace and the preservation of the lives of our citizens, Ukraine is ready to accept any format of dialogues. At the same time, the ambassador rightly noted in an interview that the prospect of NATO membership is enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine, but the country is currently not a member of this or any other security alliance,” Nikolenko emphasized. According to him, no decision can be made contrary to the constitution.
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A similar opinion was expressed by Chargé d’Affaires of Ukraine in Australia Volodymyr Shalkivsky. He called Kiev’s refusal of NATO membership impossible and predicted that this would entail a strong negative reaction from the Ukrainian society, which opposes such an idea.
Shalkivsky also added that the initiators of the refusal of Ukraine’s membership in the North Atlantic bloc would also have to face opposition from the Verkhovna Rada, whose deputies would not allow the existing agreements to be broken. “Any changes would require an overwhelming majority in parliament, a two-thirds majority,” he concluded.
The ambassador was demanded to explain his words
Press Secretary of the President of Ukraine Serhiy Nikiforov, in response to Prystaiko’s statements, indicated that the ambassador should explain himself for his words about the possibility of refusing to join the North Atlantic Alliance for the sake of peace with Russia. “Ukraine’s aspirations for NATO and the European Union are enshrined in the country’s Constitution,” the politician recalled. Nikiforov urged Prystaiko to clarify in detail what he had in mind.
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After that, it became known that when asked whether Ukraine is reconsidering its ambitions to join the North Atlantic Alliance, Prystaiko answered in the negative. He noted that his words were misunderstood.
The ambassador said that Kiev is ready for many concessions in order to avoid war, and makes them in the course of negotiations with Russia. “But that has nothing to do with [курсом на вступление в] NATO, which is enshrined in the Constitution,” he specified.
The West supported the position of the Ukrainian ambassador
At the same time, Prystaiko’s position met with support in the West. Thus, the Deputy head of the British Ministry of Defense, James Hippie, said that London would support Ukraine’s decision to refuse to join NATO if it was accepted by Kiev.
The hippie stressed that any diplomatic decisions should not jeopardize Ukrainian sovereignty. “But if Ukraine decides that it will not become a member of NATO, we will support it. The decision should remain with the Ukrainian government,” he said.
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The issue of Ukraine’s non-accession to NATO is a key issue for Russia
In the proposals submitted by the United States from Russia on security guarantees in Europe, the issue of non-expansion of NATO to the East and the refusal of Ukraine to join the alliance is one of the key ones. Moscow demanded that the alliance return to its 1997 borders and stop arming states bordering Russia. In turn, NATO said that they would not abandon the open door policy.
At the same time, tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to grow. Western countries accuse the Russian side of pulling troops to the borders. On February 11, the United States announced that Russia could launch a military invasion of Ukraine at any time, including during the Beijing Olympics. At the same time, Moscow has repeatedly stated that it has no intention to attack the neighboring country.
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