Ukraine Asks Russia to Stop

The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine is expressing concerns with regards to the latest anti-Ukrainian statements by Russian officials, and calling on Russia to stop threatening Ukraine due to its intentions to join NATO.

This follows from the ministry’s statement.

“The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine demands that the Russian side stop threatening Ukraine and observe the agreement on friendship, cooperation and partnership between Ukraine and the Russian Federation,” the statement reads.

According to the ministry, this agreement foresees obligations on mutual respect of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, inviolability of borders, non-use of threat of force and non-interference in domestic affairs.

The ministry notes the anti-Ukrainian statements by Russian officials are unacceptable from the viewpoint of security guarantees provided by Russia in 1994 when Ukraine gave up its nuclear arsenal.

“Nuclear states, including the Russian Federation, provided Ukraine security guarantees stated in the Budapest Memorandum of 1994. It is absolutely unacceptable that the Russian Federation, being one of the sides of the mentioned memorandum and permanent member of the UN Security Council…is resorting to unfriendly steps against Ukraine, questioning its territorial integrity,” the statement reads.

The ministry says that under the present situation, it becomes more evident that Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic choice is the only way to guarantee its security.

Ukraine, the statement reads, will take all necessary steps foreseen by the international law to protect its sovereignty and independence.

As Ukrainian News earlier reported, on April 10, the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry sent a note to Russia’s foreign office with the request for immediate explanation of statements made by Russian leaders on Ukraine, which were published in newspaper Kommersant on April 7, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with radio Echo of Moscow on April 8.

Lavrov said Russia would not admit Ukraine’s entry to NATO, confirming that, during the Russia - NATO council meeting in Bucharest (Romania), Russian President Vladimir Putin called in question Ukraine’s future territorial integrity.

Early in April, some mass media spread information about a closed session of the Russia - NATO council, where Putin allegedly said that Ukraine is not even a sovereign state.