Ukraine's non-aligned status will in no way "reduce the appetite" of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Providing guarantees on this account will not make Russia less aggressive.
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to the words of Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
According to Kuleba, the best way to respond to Putin's ultimatums about Ukraine not joining NATO is to ignore them.
"In fact, it is foolish to think that providing such a guarantee would make Putin any less aggressive. History proves that assurances of non-aligned Ukraine or any other country in the region do not in any way quench Putin's appetite: on the contrary, they further inflame it. The best way to respond to such ultimatums is to ignore them altogether," Kuleba stated.
At the same time, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that Ukraine secured its non-bloc status back in 2010. Only in 2013, during the Revolution of Dignity, the country raised the issue of economic and political integration with the EU.
"If nonbloc status did not stop Putin from attacking Ukraine in 2014, it is hard to imagine how it could stop him now," Kuleba added.
