MOSCOW, February 24. /TASS/. Russia asserts that addressing the NATO expansion issue through military or political means is essential; without such a resolution, a settlement regarding Ukraine cannot be achieved. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova emphasized this point in response to allegations from Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky accusing Russia of violating the Budapest Memorandum.
"Ukraine's official renunciation in the 1990s of its neutral and non-aligned status – one of the pillars of its international recognition – constitutes a breach of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum," Zakharova stated. "The unchecked expansion of NATO right up to our borders, including Ukraine, has become one of the fundamental causes of the current conflict. Until this issue is addressed, a resolution is impossible. Russia will pursue its objectives through both military and political avenues. We have already proposed various options."
She recalled that, under the Budapest Memorandum, Ukraine agreed to transfer its Soviet-era nuclear arsenal to Russia and became a non-nuclear state, with security guarantees from Russia, the United States, and Britain. "Alongside the memorandum, leaders of Russia, Britain, the United States, and Ukraine adopted a joint statement reaffirming commitments under the OSCE aimed at countering aggressive nationalism and chauvinism. It is evident that Ukraine has failed to fulfill these commitments and, over the years, has tolerated the rise of aggressive nationalism, which eventually led to the self-determination referendums in Crimea, the Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics, and the regions of Kherson and Zaporozhye, resulting in their accession to Russia," she added.
