The words of the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnik, that Kiev may consider returning the country’s nuclear status if it does not become a NATO member, are his personal point of view, State Secretary of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Alexander Bankov said on Tuesday.
“This is his personal point of view. It is necessary to take into account the context in which this point of view was expressed. In the fact that against the background of Russian escalation, Ukraine needs security guarantees. At the same time, I personally believe that Ukraine should remain a reliable predictable partner in international relations and adhere to the obligations that our state has undertaken, in particular in the field of disarmament”, – Bankov told the Glavkom online publication, answering the question whether the words of the ambassador to Germany are the official position of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.
In 1994 Ukraine, Russia, USA, France and Great Britain signed the Budapest Memorandum. According to this document, Kiev joined the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and eliminated its nuclear potential, while Moscow, Washington and London guaranteed the country’s security.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in December 2014 amended two laws, abandoning the non-aligned status of the state. In June 2016, additional amendments were adopted that define NATO membership as the country’s foreign policy goal. In February 2019, the Ukrainian parliament adopted amendments to the constitution, securing the country’s course towards the EU and NATO. Ukraine has become the sixth state to receive NATO Enhanced Partner status.