Ukraine will no longer repeat mistakes of Budapest Memorandum – Ukraine's foreign minister

Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine's Foreign Minister, stated that the country has learnt a painful lesson from the hopes for the Budapest Memorandum and that mistakes of this nature cannot be made again.

Sybiha recalled the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Budapest Memorandum, according to which Ukraine agreed to give up nuclear weapons in exchange for security assurances.

"This is a good reminder that no decisions about long-term security solutions at the expense of Ukrainian security are acceptable. This document failed to provide Ukraine with security, as well as transatlantic security. We must avoid repeating such mistakes," Sybiha asserted.

"That’s why we will discuss with my partners the concept of ‘peace through strength.’ We have a clear understanding of which steps we need from our friends to do our ‘homework’," he added.

On the eve of the Brussels meeting, Ukraine said it was refusing to accept the guarantees that are substitutes for NATO membership.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stressed that the partners hear Ukraine's calls for membership and are not backing down from their plans, but they have a different goal at the December meeting of the Alliance.