Zelenskyy explains why NATO is Ukraine’s only way out
President Zelenskyy reminded that Ukraine’s decision to give up nuclear weapons resulted in the absence of proper security guarantees.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Photo: Associated Press
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine must join NATO because the country lacks the weapons necessary to effectively stop Russian aggression.
The Head of State spoke about this during a meeting with journalists.
Zelenskyy noted that years ago, Ukraine surrendered its entire nuclear arsenal in hopes of joining NATO.
"We truly gave up all our nuclear weapons at one time. That was many years ago. We were supposed to exchange them for NATO. That’s my opinion. I shared it with Biden and with Trump. That’s why I said I din’t understand where the justice for Ukraine is," the President said.
Zelenskyy pointed out that while Ukraine had given up its weapons, it did not receive the promised security.
"We gave up nuclear weapons. We didn’t get NATO. And I asked them, "Can you name other allies or another "security umbrella" or something similar, any security measures or guarantees for Ukraine that would be comparable to NATO?" No one can tell me. So those are my arguments," Zelenskyy added.
The President also made it clear that Ukraine is not asking for the return of nuclear weapons, but it needs NATO membership to be able to defend itself against Russian aggression.
"We gave it up, but got nothing in return. And we only received a full-scale war and many casualties. So today we have only one way out. That’s why we need NATO, because we don’t have weapons that can stop Putin," Zelensky concluded.
He also reminded that under the terms of the Budapest Memorandum, world powers guaranteed Ukraine’s security and territorial integrity in exchange for giving up nuclear weapons.
"We are saying that if Ukraine hadn’t given up its nuclear weapons, that would have been the umbrella, like the one other nuclear states have. If you’re not in NATO. NATO is better," the Ukrainian leader emphasized.
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