Sunday03 November 2024
g-novosti.in.ua

Umerov stated he would commit "very bad things" if occupied territories were exchanged for NATO membership.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov stated that he has not heard of any alleged proposal for Kyiv to relinquish territories occupied by Russia in exchange for Ukraine's NATO membership. He made this remark on October 18 during an interview with Radio Liberty in Brussels, on the sidelines of the NATO defense ministers' meeting.
Умеров отметил, что готов на "очень плохие вещи", если обмен оккупированных территорий приведет к членству в НАТО.

"No, I haven't heard anything like that. If it were the case, I would definitely… do very bad things," emphasized Umerov.

What he specifically meant was not explained by "Radio Liberty."

The journalists reminded that in August 2023, such an idea was expressed by NATO Secretary General's chief of staff, Stian Jensen.

"I believe that a solution for Ukraine could be to give up territory in exchange for NATO membership," "Radio Liberty" quoted him.

Former Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, in an interview with FT published on October 4, suggested a scenario where Ukraine could become a member of the North Atlantic alliance, even though some of its territories would remain temporarily occupied. The publication also noted that Western diplomats and an increasing number of officials in Ukraine agree that significant security guarantees could serve as a basis for ending the full-scale Russian aggression, during which Russia would retain de facto, but not de jure, control over the Ukrainian territories it currently occupies.

In the Office of the President of Ukraine, the FT publication was labeled "nonsense" and emphasized that Ukraine does not trade its sovereignty and territories, noting that there is no such discussion as reported by the publication. "No one in the West has officially and clearly offered Ukraine such security guarantees that would absolutely prevent the expansion or recurrence of war. They are even afraid to provide long-range weaponry," a source in the Office of the President told "24 Channel."