'Ukraine may abandon NATO': ambassador's unfortunate wording alarmed the whole world

Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK Vadim Prystaiko suggested that Ukraine could refuse to join NATO if circumstances force it, reports with the BBC.

Photo: Shutterstock

He stated this in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live.

When asked by the presenter whether Ukraine could consider the option of not joining NATO, Prystaiko replied: “We could.”

The diplomat clarified that “given the threat that exists,” Ukraine could be forced to take such a step.

“The question that a country of 40 million asks itself is how will we survive if they (Russia - Ed.) come tomorrow?” - said Prystaiko, noting that Ukraine could remain defenseless, while all its Western neighbors are NATO members.

Subsequently, the presenter asked again if the ambassador really meant that Ukraine might refuse to join NATO.

“Yes, you are right, this is what is written in our Constitution,” he said. — Now I am partly going against the main document that we have. When I say this, (I mean - Ed.) we are flexible, trying to find the best way out. If we have to make some major concessions, that's what we can do. Undoubtedly."

At the same time, the ambassador stressed that Ukraine's accession to NATO would not significantly change the situation for Russia.

“To be honest, Russia is already surrounded by NATO countries. Poland is a member of NATO, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey. All these countries bordering Russia are already members of NATO. This did not change the security situation. This did not change security for Russia. Therefore, Ukraine will not change this much either,” Prystaiko said.

On the subject: Russian ambassador says Putin 'doesn't care' about possible US sanctions over Ukraine

He expressed the opinion that Moscow is much more uncomfortable with the idea that Ukraine could become “something other than Russia” and then the Russians would want to change the direction of their country as well.

“This (Ukraine’s accession to NATO - Ed.) is a danger not for the people of Russia, not for the territory of Russia, but for the specific regime that they have now,” the Ukrainian ambassador emphasized.

Bad wording

Later, the ambassador assured that he did not mean that Ukraine plans to abandon its Euro-Atlantic ambitions.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine emphasized that the diplomat was misunderstood, and later added that the ambassador’s statement was “unfortunate formulation.”

At the same time, the Foreign Ministry admitted that “for the sake of peace and preserving the lives of our citizens, Ukraine is ready to enter into any format of dialogue with countries and international organizations.” The ministry says that the best guarantee of security would be the immediate admission of Ukraine to the Alliance, but “threats to Ukraine exist here and now, so finding an answer to questions of guarantees becomes a fundamental task.”

The president's office assured that the Euro-Atlantic course of Ukraine is unchanged and enshrined in the Constitution.

“Mr. Ambassador used the word “flexibility”. I think it’s worth giving him the opportunity to explain what exactly he meant before drawing any conclusions, especially such loud ones,” said presidential press secretary Sergei Nikiforov.

The reaction of the President of Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine still strives for NATO membership, but “not everything depends on Ukraine,” reports with the BBC.

This is how he reacted to the question about the resonant statement of the Ambassador of Ukraine to Britain Vadym Prystaiko.

“Unfortunately, I can’t dot all the i’s yet, because not everything depends on Ukraine,” President Zelensky said during a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

“We understand that we would like membership in NATO, and yes, this would ensure our security... As for the statement of our ambassador, the response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was already official. He was correct, balanced, substantive,” Zelensky said.

According to Zelensky, now many leaders are “hinting to Ukraine that there is no need to take risks and not constantly raise issues of NATO membership.”

“The question is different: with whom Ukraine should follow this path. Or maybe, indeed, this story is like a dream for us... We must move along the path that we have chosen. “We’ll see where this path leads and when,” Zelensky added.

What did Prystaiko mean

Vadim Prystaiko also commented on his position on February 14 in the morning on the BBC Breakfast program.

The ambassador strongly objected that he meant that Ukraine would refuse to join NATO and thanked for the opportunity to “clarify his position,” noting that he was misunderstood, reports with the BBC.

Will NATO remain integral?

Ukraine's Ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko says “yes” on #BBCBreakfast (I.e.https://t.co/m9eGqs1M5L pic.twitter.com/95FwlucVtp

- BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) February 14, 2022

“I told him (correspondent - Ed.) that we are not a member of NATO right now, and we are ready for many concessions, and this is what we do in negotiations with the Russians, but this is not about NATO, which is enshrined in the Constitution "- said Prystaiko.

According to him, Ukraine is not a NATO member now, and the security decision needs to be made now.

“We are not a NATO member yet, we must look for something else, for example, bilateral agreements with Great Britain, the United States. That is, in addition to NATO, we are looking for other agreements that will allow us to survive in this particular situation right now,” the ambassador emphasized.

He noted that Ukraine’s entry into NATO depends on the alliance itself, and “this will not happen on Wednesday.” It is Wednesday, February 16, that American intelligence calls the date of Russia’s probable invasion of Ukraine.

In the Kremlin only for

The Kremlin responded to Prystaiko's statements on NATO.

“Of course, somehow Ukraine’s refusal was recorded, Ukraine’s refusal from the idea of ​​joining NATO was confirmed - this would, of course, be a step that would significantly contribute to the formulation of a more significant response to Russian concerns,” Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry told reporters Peskov.

However, Peskov added, the Constitution of Ukraine specifies completely different goals in relation to NATO.

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Therefore, according to him, it is unlikely that the ambassador's statement can be taken as a fact without Kiev's conceptual foreign policy outlook.

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