Boris Pistorius in Munich names key condition for security guarantees for Ukraine
Photo: Boris Pistorius, Germany’s defence minister (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine must receive truly effective and robust security guarantees from partner states, ones that do not become another version of the Budapest Memorandum, according to remarks by Boris Pistorius at the Munich Security Conference.
Read also: President Zelenskyy reveals central topic for peace talks in Geneva
It was reported that, according to Boris Pistorius, it was necessary to ensure that any peace agreement would be lasting and that partners should provide Ukraine with appropriate guarantees.
He was quoted as saying that Ukraine would need to be protected from any potential future aggression by Russia, and that for this major task, the country required meaningful and reliable security guarantees.
Pistorius also referred to Marco Rubio, who, as a senator in 2014, had stated in the U.S. Senate that the Budapest Memorandum had failed to protect Ukraine and therefore had not fulfilled its purpose.
He concluded that the lesson should be not to allow another "paper tiger" like the Budapest Memorandum, adding that in order to provide credible security guarantees, all parties, including Europe and the United States, would need to contribute, and that Europe and Germany were ready to play their part.
Security guarantees for Ukraine: Kyiv's position
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had said in Munich on February 14 that without clear international security guarantees, any agreements to end the war could prove temporary.
He added that Vladimir Putin would likely seek grounds to start another war against Ukraine, stressing the need for a system of guarantees that would include membership in the European Union, as well as a long-term deterrence mechanism against Russia.
Ukraine, together with the United States and European partners, had preliminarily agreed on a three-stage action plan in case Russia were to violate a potential peace agreement.
