NATO membership is the only effective guarantee of security for Ukraine.

Arsenii Pushkarenko, the Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, discussed the significance of this decision during the telethon "Unified News."

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“Thirty years ago, the disgraceful Budapest Memorandum was signed. As a result, we relinquished the third-largest nuclear arsenal in the world, and one of the guarantor countries became an aggressor. Given such a negative experience, Ukraine demands clear and real security guarantees!” he emphasized.

In an address from the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to states, governments, parliaments, and international organizations on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Budapest Memorandum, the people's deputies called for increased support for Ukraine, primarily military assistance. As Arsenii Pushkarenko noted, only weapons today can realistically compensate for the nuclear arsenal that has been taken from us, and only through strength can we compel Putin to achieve sustainable peace.

He also mentioned that throughout 2024, Ukraine has signed bilateral security agreements, of which there are today 27. These are comprehensive documents outlining the types of support for our state: military, political, humanitarian, financial, sanctions, etc. They also serve as a kind of bridge to NATO, as they will remain in effect until Ukraine joins the Alliance and will facilitate the modernization of our Armed Forces to meet the relevant standards.

“We understand that the war continues and that part of our territories is temporarily occupied. However, Ukraine is persuading the Alliance states to ensure that we receive an invitation to NATO right now. This will guarantee our security and be a strategic defeat for Russia. Therefore, we urge our partners to be more decisive and insist that Ukraine's path to the EU and NATO must be parallel,” Arsenii Pushkarenko concluded.