Photo: RBC-Ukraine
Russia continues to escalate its rhetoric regarding Ukraine’s potential accession to NATO. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said that Ukraine’s membership in the Alliance “makes it impossible to achieve peace in Ukraine and create any security architecture”.
Grushko also criticised the decision of the 2008 NATO Bucharest Summit, which confirmed the intention to accept Ukraine and Georgia into the Alliance. He called this position “catastrophic for European security” and said that NATO’s rejection of the promise would be the only way to stabilise the situation.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry: “Moscow has no right to vote”
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhiy Tykhyi was quick to respond to these statements. In his post on the social media platform X on 24 January, he strongly condemned Russia’s position, calling it “absurd”.
“North Korea’s ally is issuing ultimatums to NATO. This is complete nonsense. Moscow has no say in this. Russia is waging an aggressive war in Europe. Its occupation troops are in Ukraine and other European countries,” Tychy wrote.
He stressed that the European security architecture is built on defence against Russian aggression, and that any statements by the Kremlin about “peace” are meaningless as long as Russian troops remain in the occupied territories.
Moscow’s rhetoric on NATO and Ukraine is escalating against the backdrop of its unsuccessful attempts to influence Kyiv’s geopolitical course. Grushko’s statements once again demonstrate Russia’s unwillingness to accept Ukraine’s right to choose its own development vector.
At the same time, Ukraine’s international partners continue to provide support. NATO Allies reaffirm their commitment to the principles of the Bucharest Summit and their readiness to resist Russian blackmail.
Ukraine, on the other hand, remains steadfast in its pursuit of Euro-Atlantic integration, emphasising that the future of Europe’s security lies in deterring the aggressor, not making concessions to it.
