Lithuania’s Foreign Minister names cheapest way for NATO to guarantee Ukraine's security
Photo: Gabrielius Landsbergis (Getty Images)
Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis stated that NATO members should provide security guarantees to achieve peace in Ukraine. The best way to do this is to invoke NATO's article 5, Reuters reports.
"If we want to have peace in Ukraine, we will have to supply security guarantees. There is no cheaper way for security guarantees than NATO's article 5," Landsbergis said.
According to Lithuania’s Foreign Minister, the war's outcome will only be settled on the battlefield. "It is an illusion to say we are unable to supply Ukraine with what it needs," Landsbergis added.
Ukraine's demand
On December 3, Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the country rejects any alternatives to joining NATO. The statement was made on the 30th anniversary of the Budapest Memorandum, two days before the document's signing anniversary on December 5.
Ukraine is calling on the United States, the United Kingdom (signatories of the Budapest Memorandum), France, China (who joined the memorandum), and all members of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to support providing Ukraine with effective security guarantees. Ukraine believes that such a guarantee is full membership in NATO.
"With the bitter experience of the Budapest Memorandum behind us, we will not accept any alternatives, surrogates, or substitutes for Ukraine's full membership in NATO," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.
NATO's article 5
Article 5 of the NATO Treaty is a core provision concerning collective defense. It states that an armed attack against one or more NATO members is considered an attack against all allies, and each will assist in response to this attack. This obligation includes the possibility of using armed forces if necessary to protect and restore security in the North Atlantic region.
